Just A Distraction
by Lorelaispartz
Summary: In the midst of war, everyone is looking for comfort and companionship. However, Raynea McCoy happens to get this from someone she thought she hated--the last person on earth she would ever want it from. AU. DMOC HPOC HPGW RWHG. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Besides any original characters, I own nothing. **

**Author's Note: So I kinda rearranged the chapters a bit, so just making that clear. Since I'm adding more to each chapter, there will be less chapters then there were before, just for clarification. But it'll still be the same content. So if you think you've already read chapter five, you haven't cause it'll have new stuff. Sorry for all the confusion! **

**Just wanted to make a few things clear that weren't mentioned in the summary. The OC, Raynea McCoy, is tight with the trio. She doesn't have too huge of a backstory, but if there's anything unknown, it will be explained later in the story or in a flashback. Since it takes place during HBP, most of the relationships are pretty developed already, so don't be taken aback by that. And it's definitely AU just making that clear. I don't wanna piss off anybody. I'm basically just taking some of what happens in the book and dumbing it down and revamping it so it fits in with the plot. Oh and because I'm OCD, I just wanted to clarify the pronunciation of Raynea's name is (ray-nuh). Like Reina, just with different spelling. I think that covers everything. Thanks for reading and please review if you feel so inclined! :)**

Hermione and Raynea had been running late that morning, much to Hermione's dismay. She, of course, found it important to be punctual, even to something as simple as breakfast. Raynea had hurried through her morning routine just to appease her friend, even though she wouldn't have minded skipping breakfast altogether that morning. There had been a strange tension among her friends the past few days and she was not so keen on living through another awkward morning.

"You ready?" Raynea asked Hermione as she placed her hand on the door knob in preparation to leave.

"Yes, finally. We're going to be so late," Hermione said with a hint of stress in her voice.

Raynea merely chuckled to herself. She found Hermione's neurotic quirks both amusing and slightly irritating, but always chose to simply laugh it off. The two girls scurried down to the Great Hall, lucky enough to have Harry and Ron there to save them seats.

"Hey you two," Ron said as his friends took their seats.

Raynea sat beside Ron while Hermione took the seat across from him beside Harry.

"Ugh, I'm so sorry you had to save us seats. We've been running behind all morning," Hermione said as she began to dish scrambled eggs onto her plate.

"Yes, Hermione has been particularly stressed this morning," Raynea added with an amused smirk.

Ron exchanged a grin with her before diving into his pancakes.

"Raynea, term just started. I don't want to be running behind already," Hermione reasoned.

"It started a month ago 'Mione," Ron said in an attempt to be encouraging, "It's not like it's the first day. Besides, you're always ahead of schedule, so no worries."

"Hmmm, seems someone woke up on the right side of the bed for once," Hermione replied with a smile.

Ron furrowed his brow while Raynea and Harry snorted into their breakfasts.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron demanded, letting his fork drop and clatter against his plate.

"It was just a joke, Ron. Relax," Raynea said as her chuckles subsided.

Ron shook his head as he picked up his fork and continued eating his breakfast. Raynea smiled to herself. Things seemed more normal among her friends this morning, which made her feel relieved. However, Harry was still acting rather odd. He was more quiet than usual and Raynea noticed he had his bag resting on the seat beside him as if he were saving it for someone. While several questions arose in Raynea's mind, the answer to all of them entered the Great Hall in the next moment. Ginny Weasley appeared beside Harry with a broad grin on her face. He proceeded to quickly remove his bag from the seat to allow room for her at the table. He then smiled brightly.

"Thanks for saving me a seat," Ginny said as she squeezed his arm playfully and sat down beside him.

"Yeah, sure. No problem," he replied quietly with the same smile plastered across his face.

Once Ginny arranged herself at the table, she looked up at the others around her and smiled.

"Hey guys," she said with a waving gesture.

The three replied "Hey" in unison and continued eating their breakfasts. Raynea, however, was not completely at ease. She liked Ginny, sure, but it's not as if they were exactly the best of friends. They could remain civil to one another but would prefer to stay out of each other's company as often as possible. In addition to this, Raynea was also sensing that they all knew something that she didn't. Ron and Hermione were going out of their way to avoid eye contact with her and didn't seem to find Ginny's sudden presence surprising at all. In fact, it almost seemed as if they were expecting her. The five continued to eat their breakfast in a seemingly pleasant silence that Raynea just felt to be uncomfortable. Then, once it was time to head off to class, Harry disappeared to walk Ginny to her first lesson, leaving Ron, Hermione and Raynea on their own.

"So guys," Raynea began after an awkward silence, "Do you have something to tell me?"

Hermione seemed to get very antsy at this point, mumbled some excuse about having forgotten a textbook in her dormitory and had soon disappeared out of sight. Ron and Raynea continued their walk in silence for a few more moments.

"Ron, it's just me. What's going on?" Raynea questioned.

"I dunno whatcha mean," Ron muttered quickly, his eyes fixed on his shoes.

Raynea sighed heavily.

"Something weird's been going on the past couple days and I know you've noticed it too. Please, just tell me."

"Rayne…you're just gonna be angry," Ron warned.

Raynea had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her suspicions were most likely correct, judging from the look on Ron's face.

"Oh…" she stated simply, shifting her eyes downward for a moment.

For one of the first times that day, Ron looked her in the face.

"Er— I'm sorry."

"Why?" Raynea asked, playing dumb. She knew he was trying to be sympathetic, but she was unsure of how much he knew.

"I know about that conversation you and Harry had last year," Ron said, then he lowered his voice, "You know…after Sirius died."

"He told you about that?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh…." Raynea said for the second time that day.

There was a brief silence between them. Raynea just tried to focus on the sound of her shoes against the floor. That was her only indication that she was still walking. Everything from her stomach down felt numb.

"Rayne, I know he's—"

"Hey, it's okay," Raynea said, blinking rapidly and feigning a smile, "Harry's a big boy, he can date who he wants to."

"Yeah, but after what he said last term—"

"Things change," Raynea interrupted, "It's okay Ron, really. It's okay. I just don't know why you guys felt you had to hide it from me. I think Harry and Ginny together is great."

"Well I bloody well don't!" Ron exclaimed, "She's my sister—he's my best friend. Do you see how awkward this is for me?"

Raynea shook with laughter. She could always count on Ron for that.

"Thanks for that, Ron," Raynea said between chuckles, "One of your rants is just what we need to lighten the mood."

"But I mean, seriously? Are they trying to kill me?"

***

Sitting in class that day had been particularly agonizing. Raynea had enough trouble paying attention when she wasn't distracted by her emotions; today was just utter torture. Luckily, all she had left was lunch and then one more class and she was home free—that is if she could make it through a lunch with Gryffindor's latest power couple sitting across from her. As she began her trek to the Great Hall, a feeling of nausea came over her and she had a feeling it was there to stay. And of course, to make matters worse, Raynea was subjected to an array of hallway annoyances. First, an obnoxious group of second year girls was walking extremely slowly in front of her. Next, she tripped over her own feet on her way down the stairs—a common occurrence, but still rather annoying if you're having a bad day. And finally, the icing on the cake, she ran into Draco Malfoy—a constant presence in her life who never seemed to tire of giving her a hard time. She associated with him daily, against her will of course, and today she was especially not in the mood to deal with him.

"Well, well, well, McCoy, you're looking particularly pissed off today. What's gotcha down?"

Raynea shot him an agitated smirk.

"Malfoy, while I would love to have a pointless encounter with you, complete with crude remarks and vivid insults, I really need to be on my way. Shove off," Raynea said sarcastically.

"Oh come on, McCoy," Malfoy scoffed, "Don't think you can rid yourself of me that easily."

"Believe me," Raynea said as she stopped and turned to face him, wearing an annoyed expression, "I don't."

He grinned slyly and took a step forward.

"I was just trying to nicely ask you to leave me the hell alone," she continued, turning her back on him and walking on forward.

He followed after her.

"You call that nice?" he questioned disbelievingly.

"When in our history have we ever been nice to one another?" Raynea shot back.

Malfoy shrugged, "Good point."

"So, is there anything you want, Malfoy or are you just patronizing me?"

"Lemme ask you something," he began with a vindictive smirk, "Is it killing you?"

"Having to spend more than five minutes with you? Yes."

"Potter and the Weasley whore," he stated more specifically.

Raynea stopped dead in her tracks. Malfoy stepped in front of her, leaving the distance between them very small, and kept the same smirk on his face as he looked down at her.

Raynea felt her throat tighten and tried her best to seem unfazed. She was failing miserably.

"Ooh, did I hit a nerve?" Draco asked coolly, "How does it feel?"

Raynea looked past his face and over his shoulder. She couldn't stand to look directly at him. The idea of hexing him definitely had its appeal at this moment. Finally, she looked him in the eyes.

"How does it feel?" she repeated the question, "Hmmm…how does it feel? Lemme ask you something, Malfoy. How does it feel to be the biggest asshole to set foot in Hogwarts?"

At this, Malfoy's smirk grew. He shifted his eyes to the side for a moment before returning back to the intense gaze he was aiming at Raynea's face.

"You still didn't answer my question," he pointed out.

"Yeah? Well you haven't answered mine," she quipped before dodging him and continuing her walk to the Great Hall.

Once again, he chased after her.

"You see, I think you're bothered by it."

"Your existence? Most definitely," she snapped, keeping her eyes focused ahead of her.

He kept going.

"I mean, after everything you two have been through together and he still chose the red head? Not to mention that practically the whole school knew about it before you did. Seriously, were you that deep in denial that you couldn't see what was right in front of your face?"

Raynea sucked in her cheeks, as she often did when she was angry and glared at him with intense rage.

" Malfoy, do you honestly have nothing better to do with your time than annoy the hell outta me?"

"There are plenty of things I could do," he began, "But what could be more satisfying than knowing I put that look on your face?"

"You're pathetic," Raynea said, shaking her head and sidestepping him one last time before entering the Great Hall.

Malfoy stared after her with a look consisting of both desire and disappointment. He shook his head rapidly to snap himself out of it before entering the Great Hall himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So I'm hoping everything is good. It should be picking up, so just bear with me. Please review! Feedback is always appreciated. Thanks! :)**

Raynea approached the Gryffindor table once she entered the Great Hall, but not before she scanned the area for Ginny and Harry. She found them almost immediately. They were sitting towards the end of the table, secluded from the rest of the crowd and sitting only centimeters apart. She also couldn't help but notice that their hands were intertwined and they were both wearing extremely broad grins on their faces. Raynea scooted past them quickly, hoping they wouldn't notice her. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky. Harry looked up at her for a moment and waved in greeting. Ginny also directed her attention towards Raynea, her smile disappearing somewhat.

"Hey Rayne," she said softly.

Raynea forced a smile and offered them both a friendly wave.

"Hey guys," she uttered before hurrying off to sit with Ron and Hermione.

Ron seemed very distracted by something a ways down the table, while Hermione kept her nose buried in a book. Raynea's advance towards them caused Hermione to look up from her book for a moment and smile, but Ron remained enticed by something else.

"Hey Raynea," Hermione said, marking the place in her book before closing it.

"Hi guys," Raynea returned, placing her bag on the floor beside her feet, "How're things?"

"Not much different since breakfast," Hermione replied with a sigh, "How are _you _doing, Raynea? You feeling alright?" Her eyes flickered over to Ginny and Harry for a split second before she directed her attention back to Raynea.

"I'm fine," Raynea said, sounding confident even though she knew in her heart she wasn't.

"You sure?" Hermione pressed further.

"Yeah. There's no reason not to be," she stated.

Hermione smiled at her friend, trying to be especially delicate considering the news from this morning.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, 'Mione," Raynea said, "But it's really unnecessary. Everything's fine."

Hermione sighed, "You're not very convincing you know."

"Really? Cause I think I'm a damn fine actress," Raynea joked as she took a sip from her goblet.

"I'll let it go," Hermione snickered, "There're better things to talk about anyway. For example, what on earth are you staring at, Ronald?"

Ron didn't respond. In fact, he acted as though he hadn't heard his friend at all. His gaze remained halfway down the table.

"Ron…" Raynea said in a raised voice, "….Ron!"

"Huh?" Ron exclaimed, quickly shifting his head and directing his glance at the two girls sitting across from him.

"What's got you all distracted?" Hermione questioned with a chuckle.

"I'm not distracted," Ron scoffed as he picked up his fork, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, okay," Raynea said disbelievingly with an eyebrow raise, "I don't know what it is with you blokes…"

Hermione giggled as she began to spoon food onto her plate.

***

Raynea felt extremely relieved once lessons had ended for the day. She was fortunate enough to make it out with little homework and no sightings of the happy couple. Unfortunately, irritation was not absent from the remainder of her afternoon.

"Miss me?" questioned a cool, sly voice from behind her.

Raynea glanced over her shoulder and found a tall, pale figure treading only a few steps in back of her. She rolled her eyes before turning around to face him with a sour expression on her tan face.

"Twice in one day? How lucky for me," she sighed as he took a few paces toward her.

"Hey, I'm like the gift that keeps on giving," Malfoy responded with a cocky smirk.

"Haven't you pissed me off enough for one day?" Raynea asked in annoyance.

"Trust me," he said, stepping even closer to her, "I never tire of this."

Raynea looked up into his pale grey eyes, feeling only hatred for him. She would never figure out why he was always around and always seemed to take an interest in making her miserable.

"Well learn to," she shot back before turning on her heel and quickening her pace to avoid him. Of course, she wasn't surprised when he continued after her.

"Come on McCoy," he began as he ran up beside her, "Can you even imagine a day without me? I'm a joy to be around."

"Depends on your definition of the word," Raynea stated, her voice coated with irritation. She started her trek up the stairs and he followed, though this wasn't a big surprise to her.

"Why do you keep following me?" she demanded, hardly able to stand his proximity to her.

"I dunno. Got nothing better to do," he replied.

"I find that extremely hard to believe. Why don't you go bother one of your Slytherin whores? At least you'll get a lay outta that," Raynea snapped as she stomped up the stairs.

"Nah, I'm fine right here, really," he replied with growing amusement, "Besides, it's all been there done that. I could use a break."

"So you choose to antagonize me? Perfect."

"I'd say so, yes."

"While I should be used to dealing with you, I'm really not in the mood for it today. Please, just…go away."

"I don't think you want me to do that."

"What gives you that idea?"

"How often do you get to have such a skilled verbal sparing match with one of your Gryffindor gits?"

"Well considering I actually like them, a verbal sparing match isn't necessary."

"Besides," he continued on, "Don't I help take some of the pain away?"

"From what?"

"Oh, please," Malfoy laughed, the smirk ever present on his pale, pointed face, "Potter and Weasley. I know it's driving you mad."

"I'm just fine," Raynea responded, able to detect the doubt in her voice herself.

Malfoy would easily be able to see right through her.

"Yeah, you sound very convinced," he shot back.

Raynea stopped suddenly once they reached the top of the stairs and whipped herself around swiftly to face him.

"Why do you even care, Malfoy?"

"I don't care," he scoffed, "I swear, you really are going mad."

"Maybe you're right. How mad would I have to be to think that you would actually give a damn about me?"

"Exactly," he verified as he raised one eyebrow.

Raynea sighed and shook her head before heading off down an adjacent hallway, this time without Draco Malfoy tagging along after her.

Draco sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair as he stared after her. It had been the same thing for the past five years. He would taunt Raynea and make her miserable as often as he possibly could, always deriving a sick pleasure out of it. For the first four years he did this purely out of the badness of his heart. However, his fifth year he made a shocking and, in his opinion, revolting discovery. Despite all their differences, despite all the insults they had thrown back at one another, and despite how much he thought he despised her, he had actually developed a sick attraction to her. An attraction he was very keen to act on.

* **

Raynea trudged into the Gryffindor common room, passing by a few of her friends in the vicinity without uttering a simple "hello." She stomped up the narrow staircase, feeling as though each one of her legs was being weighed down by an additional fifty pounds. After entering the sixth year girls' dormitory, Raynea collapsed onto her bed without even bothering to take off her shoes.

Hermione was sitting on neighboring bed with books and papers spread out in a circle around her. She looked up at her collapsed friend and smiled in mild amusement.

"What happened?" she inquired.

"Malfoy," Raynea groaned in frustration.

"Ah, I see," Hermione said as she continued to work on her homework with diligence.

"I swear…that guy pisses me off just by breathing my air. We're going on our sixth year of pure hatred and he still….ugh. Whatever…" Raynea didn't have the strength to continue her rant. It had been a long, eventful day. Just when things seemed to be looking up, something had to bring her down.

"Come on, Raynea. It'll be fine. You just need to find the proper distraction. Spending extra time on your homework tonight would do nicely," Hermione suggested in an effort to help her distraught friend.

Raynea gave Hermione a strange look and sat up briskly.

"I'm annoyed, Hermione. Not certifiable," she stated sarcastically. Hermione rolled her eyes but offered a slight chuckle.

"Why don't you take a work break and come down to the common room with me?" Raynea said, eager to distract herself by spending time with her friends.

Hermione sighed and replied at long last, "Alright, Raynea. I know you've had a rough day so I will take a ten minute break with you."

"Wow…how adventurous of you," Raynea replied with a smirk. Her friend chose to ignore the sarcasm and the two girls headed down to the common room.

When they arrived, a surprise was awaiting Hermione that would cause the crappiness of her day to rival with Raynea's. A sickening display was sprawled out across the couch that the two girls were shocked to see.

Ron was shamelessly snogging Lavender Brown in front of the fire place and fortunately everyone else had cleared out for dinner. However it seemed Lavender and Ron weren't too worried about privacy, as they continued to make out even after Hermione and Raynea had entered the room.

Hermione looked as though she was going to be sick and go to pieces all at the same time. She inhaled heavily before running back up the stairs with Raynea right on her heels. Once they had re-entered their dormitory, Hermione sat down slowly on her bed, careful to turn her face so Raynea wouldn't see she was crying.

"'Mione?" Raynea said cautiously as she approached her friend and sat down on the bed beside her.

Hermione made even more of an effort to keep her face hidden and didn't say anything in reply.

"Hermione?" Raynea repeated, this time more assured. She had a feeling she knew what was going on, but she didn't want to assume.

"Hermione…you don't…have feelings for Ron, do you?"

There was a long pause, so Raynea decided to press further.

"Cause if you did…it would be okay."

She heard a loud sniff and a break in Hermione's breathing as she began to openly sob.

"Aw, 'Mione," Raynea said sympathetically, her heart breaking as she heard her friend weeping.

Hermione's sobs grew louder as she turned to face Raynea. Her face was coated with tears and she looked absolutely devastated. She leaned onto Raynea's shoulder, as Raynea wrapped her arms around her in comfort.

"It's gonna be okay," Raynea said, in an effort to be encouraging.

"Yeah…it will be," Hermione began in a broken voice, "I'm never talking to that prat again!"

"You don't mean that."

"Yes I do," Hermione responded as more tears spilled from her eyes, "I should've seen this coming. They've been noticing each other a lot lately and we all know Lavender will snog at the drop of a hat. I mean, don't you remember how distracted he was at lunch today? It was because of her."

Raynea stayed silent, knowing Hermione was right. She didn't want to offer comfort or advice when it seemed that Hermione didn't want it. She needed a good cry and to be away from everyone for a little while. Hopefully then she would start to feel better.

"I don't know how you handled the news about Harry and Ginny so well this morning…" Hermione said suddenly, shocking Raynea a bit.

It was the first time that she had directly mentioned it all day. Hearing it said out loud made the whole situation seem a lot rougher. Raynea felt the sting of her friend's words, even though the hurt was completely unintentional. She felt her throat start to tighten, but she ignored it. She had to be there for Hermione, no matter how lousy she was feeling at the moment.

***

Hermione's tears stopped once everyone had returned from dinner. She had decided to go to bed early that night, needing a good rest and to avoid Ron and Lavender while the wound was so fresh. Raynea headed down to the common room once she knew Hermione was asleep.  
Everyone was spread out among the various chairs and couches throughout the room laughing and having a good time. Raynea felt horrible for Hermione. Everyone else seemed so at ease, while Hermione was stuck upstairs being miserable. Raynea was also unfortunate to catch a glimpse of Harry and Ginny sharing one arm chair, their arms wrapped around one another and their faces nearly touching. Raynea outwardly cringed and looked away. She was looking for a different couple, anyhow. She spotted Ron and Lavender kissing on the same couch, this time less intensely. Raynea rolled her eyes and sighed as she treaded over to them and tapped Ron on the shoulder lightly.

"Ron?" she said firmly to divert his attention from the brown haired girl attached to his face, "Ron?"

She repeated herself after a few seconds went by without a response. Ron detached himself from Lavender and looked up at his friend with a goofy grin.

"Hey Rayne. Whatcha need? I'm kinda busy," he asked in rapid succession.

"We need to talk," she replied forcefully.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I'm really hoping the whole rearranged chapters things isn't too confusing. Anyhow, hope you're enjoying it. Please, please review! Thanks! :)**

Ron followed Raynea into the sixth year boys' dormitory, extremely eager to get through their conversation so he could get back to the girl waiting for him downstairs.

"What's this all about?" he inquired.

"Since when are you and Lavender…'friends?'" Raynea asked delicately. She couldn't even believe they were going to have this uncomfortable conversation. Ron grinned moronically before answering her.

"Well, er—I dunno. We haven't really talked about it," he answered truthfully.

"Are you guys…er, together?"

"Sorta…I guess you could call it that," Ron replied.

"Right…and uh…you're happy about this, right?"

"Sure…I mean…I guess so…"

"…You sure?"

"Rayne, what's this all about?"

"Aren't you forgetting about something?" Raynea questioned, desperately trying to get him to recall the girl sleeping in the room just across the way.

Ron gave her a puzzled look and ran a hand through his hair before shaking his head. Raynea sighed deeply and crossed her arms. She wasn't eager to get onto this topic either.

"Hermione," she stated simply, hoping that would be enough to jog his memory.

Ron's face immediately softened and he looked to the floor remorsefully. After shoving his hands in his pockets uncomfortably, he looked back up at the dark haired girl standing before him.

"What about her?"

"Please don't make me go there, Ron."

Ron inhaled deeply and took a seat on his four poster. He rested his elbows on his knees and placed his chin in his hands as if he were thinking seriously about something. His eyes shifted over to Raynea.

"I can't wait around forever."

"I know," Raynea replied, seeing his point, "You're right…I don't even know why I brought you up here."

"It's alright," Ron said, standing up suddenly and heading over towards the door, "I'll see you tomorrow, Rayne."

Raynea got the point. Apparently Lavender didn't wear out easily.

"Yeah, tomorrow," Raynea agreed with a small smile.

Ron returned the gesture before heading back down the narrow stairs to the common room.

***

After her encounter with Ron, Raynea returned to her dormitory tired and thoroughly irritated. The day's events were quite upsetting once she was left there to ponder them. She prepared for bed, not really having then strength to return to the common room with everyone else. Besides, it's not like she could pal around with Harry and Ron when they were with their girlfriends.

Raynea quickly changed into her nightgown, tossed her school bag on the floor beside her trunk and got into bed. She hoped she would fall asleep instantly, but no such luck. Instead, she had her past there to haunt her. There had been a lot of talk that day about her and Harry's history, more specifically, a conversation they had had at the end of their fifth year. She remembered it perfectly.

_Harry was spread out at the base of a tree on the grounds—one that he often visited when he wanted to have time to think on his own. Raynea spotted his jet black hair in an instant and made her way towards him. He had been isolating himself from everyone more than usual and with good reason. Sirius's death was so fresh and she knew it was killing him. _

_Raynea approached the tree cautiously, not wanting to be too overbearing. She took a seat beside him and stretched out her feet in front of her before looking closely at him. He had been crying—that was obvious. A few tears were still falling down his face, but he didn't care to wipe them away. Raynea knew that normally he would have been quick to conceal his pain, but in this case he didn't care. He was comfortable with her, she knew that too. She didn't say much for the longest time. She didn't want to push him if he wasn't ready to talk. After awhile, he had composed himself enough to begin speaking. _

"_He was the only family I had left," Harry stated, his voice sounding strained._

"_I know," Raynea said so softly it was nearly a whisper. _

"_What am I supposed to do without him?"_

"_You'll get along, Harry. You're strong," she replied with confidence, as a layer of tears coated her own eyes. Raynea grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. She wanted him to know that he wasn't alone—not even close. He had Ron, Hermione and he definitely had her. _

"_I'm sorry," he said after a few moments of quiet. _

_Raynea was taken aback by this. She had no idea what he could possibly be apologizing for. He was the one who had lost so much. Raynea didn't know what to say and luckily didn't have to say much. Harry continued on. _

"_I've been pushing everybody away this year…especially you."_

_Raynea remained silent, though she knew this was true. Harry kept going._

"_It's just…I've been so angry. I'm nearly past my breaking point. And...I've treated you awfully and…blamed you for things…"_

"_Harry, you've been going through a lot. There's no way I could even begin to understand."_

"_No…you don't understand. At least you admit it. Everyone around here pretends to know…"_

"_Yeah," Raynea murmured, not really sure what he was getting at._

"_There's something that…I do want you to understand, Raynea."_

_She swallowed a lump in her throat and looked at him more intensely as he continued to look on ahead, tears still fresh on his face._

"_I feel close to you…closer than I do to them. And…"_

_He looked down at this point, seeming embarrassed about what he was trying to convey to her. She knew what was coming. She had known for awhile._

"_I…I think you know what I'm trying to say," Harry said as he looked back up into the distance with narrowed eyes. _

_Raynea nodded slowly, "Yeah."_

_There was quite a bit of silence, though it wasn't uncomfortable. Each knew what the other meant to say. Raynea looked away from him for a moment before fixing her eyes on his face even more closely. She softly turned his face toward hers and lightly kissed him as tears fell down both their faces. Harry stared directly into her mahogany brown eyes for the first time during their entire conversation. He didn't smile, though he wanted to, nor did she. _

"_I've wanted that to happen for a long time," he said._

"_Me too," Raynea replied, looking away from him. _

"_But now…" he trailed off._

_Their voices were emotionless and neither one looked at the other. This wasn't exactly what they had imagined the moment to be like. _

_"I'm not ready for this," Harry said finally, looking down into his lap. _

_Raynea shook her head slowly and swallowed, "Okay."_

_"Not right now," he continued on in an effort to explain himself, "…Just…don't give up on me."_

_Raynea forced a small smile as she wiped her eyes._

_"I won't."_

_Harry nodded slowly as he leaned the back of his head against the tree and looked out across the grounds. _

Raynea's head snapped up as a stream of light hit her directly in the eyes. It was morning, she knew that much.

"Wake up!" Hermione exclaimed, as she pulled back the set of curtains that were usually draped in front of the window, "You don't want to be late again, do you?"

Raynea threw her bed back onto her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut. Judging from the sharp headache she was experiencing, Raynea was pretty sure that she had gotten the crappiest night's sleep ever.

"Up, up!" Hermione said loudly as she snatched up Raynea's covers and pulled them to the end of the bed.

"Are you insane?" Raynea demanded with a crackly voice, blindly reaching forward to obtain the covers that were once spread out across her bare legs.

"Come on, Raynea. You're late as it is," Hermione pointed out.

Raynea exhaled before sluggishly lifting herself up and out of her bed. This made her headache worsen and caused her to pinch the bridge of her nose to dull the pain.

"Hurry up or I'm not going to wait for you," Hermione said as she crossed over to her own bed and opened up a book.

Raynea groaned before staggering onto her feet and grabbing her robes so she could change for the day.

"Ten minutes," she told Hermione as she headed towards the bathroom.

***

After she was up, Raynea's headache subsided a little, however the worry she was feeling for her friend hadn't. She had expected Hermione to act unusually after discovering Ron and Lavender on the couch, but she wasn't expecting her to act quite like this. Hermione was desperate to focus on anything that would distract her from her feelings for Ron, and this had emphasized some of her more neurotic qualities.

Once the girls reached the Great Hall, Raynea wasn't at all surprised by what they found. A particularly contented looking Ginny was sitting with a quiet Harry towards the end of the table, while Ron and Lavender were sitting with Seamus, Dean and Neville in the middle of the table. Raynea could sense the rage radiating off Hermione, who seated herself far away from the latter group. Ron looked over at her with a confused expression on his face then directed his gaze up at Raynea.

"What're you doing?" he mouthed to her, obviously finding it strange that they had not chosen to sit with him and his group.

Raynea merely shrugged before sitting across from Hermione. Unfortunately, the two girls wouldn't be able to dine as a pair. Soon after taking their seats, Raynea and Hermione were joined by Ginny and Harry, who seemed to be even more inseparable then they had the day before.

"May we join you?" Ginny asked politely, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Of course," Hermione said with a smile.

Raynea widened her eyes in surprise. She had a feeling it was going to be a long morning.

***

Ron caught up with Hermione and Raynea after breakfast, most likely to ask them why they hadn't chosen to sit with him.

"Hey guys," he said casually as he appeared beside Raynea, "Where were you at breakfast?"

"Er—well, we were—" Raynea clumsily tried to explain the reason behind their absence, but apparently Hermione wanted to take this one.

"Not with you," she stated coldly as she quickened her pace.

Ron panted to keep up with her, "Well, yeah, I was kinda wondering why you didn't sit with us?"

"You see, there's an explanation for that—"

Once again, Raynea's attempts to make things right were interrupted by a fuming Hermione.

"I'm running behind to my first lesson. I hope you don't mind if I leave you here, _Raynea_," she snapped, putting emphasis on the fact she was only speaking to her female friend.

"Yeah, it's fine. See you later," Raynea replied, somewhat surprised that Hermione had flat out refused to speak to Ron.

"Bye 'Mione," Ron called after her.

Hermione continued on without acknowledging him, leaving Ron and Raynea to have yet another uneasy conversation.

"What in the bloody hell is wrong with her?" he inquired with a furrowed brow.

"I think you know, Ron," Raynea sighed.

"But…" Ron trailed off. In addition to appearing hurt that Hermione was punishing him so harshly for his choice of a companion, he also seemed lost for words.

"Just give her some time," Raynea said, folding her lips anxiously.

Ron nodded, "Yeah, you're right. You wanna head off to class?"

"Sounds good," she responded as she inhaled sharply.

Raynea hoped the rift between her friends would be short lived, however something told her that it wouldn't be. Hermione seemed pretty set in her decision to cut Ron Weasley off completely. Raynea could sense that Ron was upset, but said nothing in an effort to comfort him. Sometimes she felt as though even when she did make an effort, it was meaningless anyhow.

***

True to her word, Hermione had avoided and ignored Ron the entire day, much to Ron and Raynea's dismay. Evidently, she was much angrier with Ron then Raynea had realized. At lunch, she had once again snubbed Ron and his clan and chose for her and Raynea to sit with Harry and Ginny. This left Raynea in an extremely awkward position, though she said nothing about it. She knew Hermione was feeling down, and she didn't want to add to the irritation. So, for her friend, Raynea endured another meal with Harry and Ginny.

However, when it came to dinner, Raynea decided she would choose to sit with Ron and Lavender. She could bear air headed Lavender Brown for a meal, but refused to undergo another hideous hour of sitting with the boy who lived and his main squeeze. She wasn't sure how this decision would affect Hermione, but she figured it wouldn't matter.

Raynea entered the Great Hall and took a seat beside Ron, who seemed happy to have her there. She was unsure of how Hermione, Harry and Ginny would react to this, but decided to ignore her uneasiness. She was going to have a good time with her other friends, and let the drama take a back seat.

Though once Hermione made her way into the Great Hall and set her eyes on Raynea, Ron and the others, Raynea was pretty sure of how she took it. All throughout dinner, Hermione refused to look in Raynea's direction and made it a point to show off how much fun she was having with Harry and Ginny.

"She's laying it on a bit thick, isn't she?" Ron muttered to Raynea as he looked over at Hermione with a certain sadness in his eyes.

"She's grieving," Raynea replied jokingly as she rolled her eyes.

The remainder of dinner was pleasant enough, but Raynea dreaded to see what would happen afterwards. She found out soon enough. As all the students were filing out of the Great Hall, Raynea, Ron and the others were walking the path directly behind Hermione, Harry and Ginny. Ron and Raynea broke off from the rest of their group and followed after the other three to see if anything had changed. Apparently it had, but not for the better.

'Hey guys," Raynea said casually in an attempt to test the waters.

Harry and Ginny responded politely while Hermione said absolutely nothing and continued to look on ahead. Ron sighed as he exchanged a look with Raynea.

"This is pointless," he murmured, "I'm gonna go catch up with Lavender. Later."

In a moment, he was gone. This left Raynea alone to contend with a couple of star crossed lovers and a pissed off Hermione. Her odds were not looking good.

"So, I hope you guys didn't mind me sitting with Ron and them at dinner," Raynea said, still careful to not overstep some invisible boundary.

"Yeah, it's fine," Harry replied with a smile, "We missed you though."

Raynea couldn't help but smile and was reluctant to admit to herself the excitement that Harry's last comment had stirred up in her. She tried to remain calm and pressed further.

"I hope you didn't mind either, Hermione," Raynea stated more specifically.

Hermione shrugged and continued her brisk pace as Raynea sighed in frustration.

"Hey guys, would you mind if I borrowed Hermione for a moment?" she asked, this time resolute to fix whatever problem Hermione was having with her.

"Yeah, it's alright. We were heading to the library anyway," Ginny responded with a slight attitude. Her voice always took a tone when she was addressing Raynea.

"Great, thanks. See you guys later," Raynea said quickly as she dragged Hermione by the arm into the adjacent hallway.

Once there, Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at Raynea with narrowed eyes.

"What?"

"Well, er—I was just wondering why you seem so…agitated," Raynea stated.

"I'm not agitated," Hermione responded stubbornly.

"So that look on your face is…natural?" Raynea asked sardonically.

"You're not funny," Hermione snapped, turning to leave.

"No," Raynea exclaimed, grabbing Hermione's arm, "Tell me what's going on."

"You're not completely daft all the time, Raynea. Why don't you give it some thought?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you can lay off the personal attacks. I get it, okay? You're pissed because I sat with Ron at dinner."

"Don't make me sound so petty. You know there's a reason behind it."

"Why don't you clue me in here and let me know what that reason is?"

"You saw how upset I was, Raynea."

"Yeah, but just because you're upset with Ron doesn't mean I have to be."

"If you were a loyal friend, you would be."

"You're such a hypocrite, you know that? It's not like you're making any effort to avoid Harry for my sake."

"Well…that's different!"

"It's not different, Hermione…and you know that!"

Hermione rolled her eyes then turned her back to Raynea and crossed her arms. There was a short pause in the middle of the argument before Raynea continued on.

"Look, Hermione, you gotta cut Ron some slack. He's not doing anything wrong."

Hermione whipped around to face her friend with an enraged expression on her face. She uncrossed her arms, as if ready to throw a punch.

"Am I wrong, or are you actually defending him?" she demanded shrilly.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Raynea said angrily, "I mean, come on, you had no problems going to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum. Apparently that was no big deal, but now that Ron's found somebody he wants to be with you have a bloody heart attack!"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but had nothing left to say.

"Exactly," Raynea said confidently. She knew she had made a good point and even Hermione wouldn't be able to counter it.

"At least I'm honest with myself," Hermione said quietly after the pause in the middle of their quarrel.

"Excuse me?" Raynea snapped, eager to see what Hermione was about to challenge her with.

"You heard me. At least I recognize what I'm feeling and let myself feel it. You're the one who's buried in denial!"

"I am not in denial!"

"Yes you are, Raynea. It's obvious really. No wonder you're blind to it."

"That's the last time I let you cry on my shoulder you bitch!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Raynea, completely aghast.

"Stay away from me," she growled before pushing past Raynea and stomping out of the hallway.

Raynea swallowed a lump in her throat and closed her eyes, looking absolutely miserable. She hadn't intended to get into a fight with Hermione. In fact, she had hoped to mend whatever fracture had made its way into their friendship, but to no avail. As she prepared to take leave for her dormitory, she heard a faint clapping coming from behind her. She twisted around to see Malfoy and his overweight goons were the source of noise. They were clapping their hands in applause. Apparently they had witnessed the entire altercation. Raynea rolled her eyes and sucked in her cheeks.

"That was a stunning performance, really," Malfoy said with a cold laugh, "I was hoping you'd hit her, but no such luck."

His moronic goons cackled in the background as Malfoy shot her an amused eyebrow raise.

"Get out of here, Malfoy," Raynea exclaimed, erupting with rage.

"You heard her, make yourselves scarce," Malfoy said to Crabbe and Goyle, gesturing his head towards the staircase behind them.

"Catch ya later, Malfoy," Crabbe grunted as he and Goyle headed down the stairs.

"Your wish…my command," Malfoy stated slyly, taking a few steps towards her. As he did this, Raynea began to walk away from him, unable to deal with any other annoyances.

"My wish was for you to leave, so get the hell outta here," she snarled as she quickened her pace to nearly a run.

"Come on, this is all just too easy," he laughed, "Within a two day period you find out Potter hooked up with that red headed slut and then you get into a huge fight with Granger…it's priceless."

"You find this amusing?" Raynea demanded, hardly able to believe that even Malfoy could find some twisted amusement in her predicament.

"Maybe not amusing, but it does bring a smile to my face," he replied, wearing his typical sinful smirk.

"Get away from me, Malfoy," Raynea said viciously, turning a corner sharply in hopes of ditching him. No such luck.

"I think my favorite part of the whole thing was the 'denial' comment. That was really the icing on the cake."

Raynea violently spun around to face him and glared at him with piercing mahogany eyes.

"Get outta here, Malfoy! You're an unfeeling bastard and you disgust me. Go screw one of your Slytherin whores and stay the hell away from me!"

Raynea shot him one last glare before treading away from him. He stood there, somewhat in shock. Some of the things she said about him actually stung a little. He wasn't expecting that. He wondered if she really meant all those things, or if she had just said them in anger. Either way, he didn't want to ponder how hideous Raynea found his personality to be. It left him feeling unexpectedly hurt, which he didn't want to admit even to himself. He headed back to the Slytherin dorms, hoping Pansy would be waiting there to bring him some sort of physical comfort.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: The beginning of this chapter is old, but everything after the first set of stars is brand new. Sorry for all the confusion with the arrangement of the chapters Everything should even out after this chapter. All the chapters after this one is strictly new. Please review! Thanks! :)**

Raynea had an awful night's sleep that night. It was pretty hard to lie there peacefully when the person in the bed next to you hated your guts, so she didn't find it surprising when she woke up more exhausted then she was when she went to sleep. After preparing herself for the day, Raynea trudged down to the common room, surprised to find Ron sitting on the couch waiting for her. They exchanged a 'hello' and headed down to the Great Hall. On their walk there, Raynea decided to give him the news about her throw down with Hermione. She went into pretty deep detail about what the fight consisted of and even provided some direct quotes.

"You didn't really call her a bitch, did you?" Ron questioned with an eager interest.

"Yeah…I did," Raynea admitted with a humorous cringe. She was ashamed of it the night before, but it seemed much more acceptable once Ron started to laugh about it.

"It's not true, but it doesn't mean she didn't need to hear it," Ron said.

"I feel pretty bad about it. I don't really think that about Hermione. She's still my best friend even if we are in a fight," Raynea said with a sigh.

"She said some pretty bad things to you too, Rayne," Ron reminded her, "Don't beat yourself up too much."

"I know, but I still feel guilty."

"She'll come around…I hope," Ron added that last part with a hint of remorse in his voice.

Regardless of whether or not he was with Lavender, Raynea knew Ron still felt strongly for Hermione. All she could hope for now was that everything would work out in the end, though it looked pretty grim at this point.

***

The entire day was completely different from what Raynea was used to. She had grown accustomed to paling around with all three of her best friends throughout the day. This particular day she didn't say a word to Hermione, merely exchanged pleasantries with Harry, but luckily got to spend a good chunk of time with Ron. However, he was still on Lavender's leash which meant they didn't get to see each other as often as they would have liked, but neither one complained.

Despite everything that had been going wrong, Raynea was relieved that the next day was Saturday and she would be free to do whatever she wanted. She only had to get through one more class that day, then she would meet up with Ron, rest for awhile, go to dinner and then retire early so she would be well rested for the weekend.

Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as she had planned. Lavender had insisted on having Ron go to the library with her, much to his dismay. He apologetically told this to Raynea, who didn't mind. She understood the need for the couple to spend time together, so she kindly insisted that he go with Lavender while she headed back to the common room. However, she wouldn't escape a visit from Draco Malfoy on her way there. She turned into a new hallway and, _literally_, ran right into him, causing her books and papers to plummet to the ground and spread out into a huge heap. Draco was lucky enough to have dropped nothing.

"Oh, sorry," Raynea exclaimed ruefully before she saw who it was that she had barreled into. She looked up at for a moment to see his pointed face smirking at her and immediately felt sick.

"Ugh…you," she grunted as she lowered herself to the ground to pick up her belongings.

"Seems to be your lucky day," he responded smugly.

"Yeah, I've been having a lot of those lately," she responded acidly, "Get outta my way."

"Actually you were the one who ran into me, so technically I'm the one who should be saying that."

"Just go, Malfoy," she snapped as she reached to collect some of the papers scattered around them.

Suddenly, Malfoy was crouched on the ground in front of her, copying her actions and picking up some of her strewn about materials. Raynea looked at him disbelievingly and furrowed her brow. He looked up at her and handed her a fistful of papers as she continued to stare at him.

"What're you doing?" she demanded, sounding harsher then she intended to.

"Giving you your books," he replied pointedly

"Why?" Raynea asked suspiciously.

"Bloody hell, McCoy," he said in frustration, "Do you want them or not?"

"You do realize you're _helping _me, don't you?"

Malfoy looked around for a moment as if he hadn't been in control of his own actions for the past minute.

"Please," he scoffed as he stood up, "I was just trying to get your crap outta my way so I could walk."

"Right," Raynea said, a hint of irritation in her voice as she grabbed the remainder of her objects and prepared to get up.

Before she knew it, Draco had taken her hand and pulled her up to her feet in one fluent movement, leaving Raynea stunned.

"Did you just…help me up?"

"No," he jeered, "I was just trying to get you the hell outta my way so I could pass."

"You're definitely off your game today, Malfoy," Raynea said with amusement, "You're actually acting like a human being for once."

"Don't count on it happening again," he sneered as he pushed past her and headed off down the hallway.

As Draco continued his walk to the Slytherin common room, he played back the last five minutes of his day in his mind. Not only had he helped Raynea collect her books, but he also touched her—something he had never done in their five years of knowing one another. He was even more sickened by the fact that he liked it, and hoped to do it again.

"_What the hell is wrong with me_?" he thought furiously as he made his way into the common room.

His attraction was starting to slip into his actions, something that he had never let happen before. Many questions were raised in his mind, all which he chose to ignore. He figured it was just a fluke and that the best thing to do was cut himself off completely from Raynea, that way his desire would just disappear. Then, everything would return to normal.

***

Many weeks passed and things hadn't gotten much easier. Raynea was still plagued by the spectacle of Harry and Ginny and was still not speaking to Hermione. However, things with Ron were still good, which pleased her, but not talking to Hermione was becoming difficult. Of course, barely having a relationship with Harry was also giving her some trouble, but Raynea supposed she would eventually get used to it. Unfortunately, she had that same thought weeks ago, and still nothing had improved.

Raynea missed Harry more than just as a friend. They were extremely close at one point, and came close to having a romantic relationship. She couldn't just forget that. She also couldn't deny the anger she felt towards him for his actions. During all the weeks she was subjected to public displays of affection between Harry and Ginny, she would recall the one tender moment she and Harry had had under that tree in their fifth year. Remembering this didn't make her nostalgic, it made her livid. Raynea chose to ignore these feelings. She couldn't afford to lose him, even though it seemed like she already had.

Despite all the bad, there were some improvements in her life. Malfoy had backed off for the past month and a half. In fact, he hadn't said a word to her in that entire time span. She found this odd, but didn't question it. She felt rather fortunate that it had ended up this way. Also, she had become good friends with a Ravenclaw boy. Shane was extremely funny, easy to get along with and she felt no romantic attachment to him whatsoever. Raynea was glad to have him, especially on the days she was feeling particularly down. He could always get her to laugh. However, this didn't take away from the time she spent with Ron. Any spare moment they had where Ron wasn't with Lavender, they would spend together.

Yes, things seemed to have evened out quite a bit. Things were quiet, and Raynea was relieved. However, they didn't stay this way for very long.

One cool, late-October morning, Raynea woke up feeling particularly refreshed. She prepared for the day, and as she did, something seemed off. While she was running a brush through her long, loosely curled, dark brown hair she noticed that Hermione hadn't woken up yet. She found this odd, but decided to let it go. Some time had passed, and once she was ready to head down to the Great Hall, she realized that Hermione still hadn't gotten out of bed. She was definitely going to be late, which she hated. Raynea, against her better judgment, headed over to Hermione's four poster and shook her gently awake. Hermione's eyes fluttered opened and she looked surprised to see Raynea was the one who had awoken her.

"You're about to be late," Raynea warned softly, trying to conceal how uncomfortable she was.

"Oh," Hermione said quietly as she swiftly got up out of bed and headed over to her trunk.

As Raynea watched her friend, she discovered how stupid she felt about their entire argument. Just because they had one fight, didn't mean they had to doom the whole friendship. Feeling bold, Raynea inhaled sharply in preparation to talk to the bushy haired girl before her.

"Hermione…" Raynea began cautiously.

"What?" Hermione grunted from the floor.

"I was just thinking…it seems pretty stupid not to talk to each other. I mean, that fight was a while back and…I didn't mean any of the things I said back then…Don't you think it's ridiculous not to talk to each other over something so stupid?"

Hermione stood up and looked at Raynea, her expression emotionless. She seemed to be pondering it for a moment before she responded to the thin figure standing in front of her

"No…I don't," she said sharply before heading off to the bathroom.

Raynea stood there, completely shocked and thoroughly distressed. Though she and Hermione hadn't talked in a little over a month, she wasn't expecting that their friendship was totally destroyed. She still had hope that everything would work out okay, and that made things easier. Now, she just felt entirely hopeless. She truly valued her friendship with Hermione, and it felt empty not having her around. Regardless of how awful she was feeling, Raynea swallowed a lump in her throat and headed down to the Great Hall. On her walk down there, she hoped Ron and the others would cheer her up. Though she seriously doubted a few laughs would make her feel better about this.

After a mediocre breakfast, Raynea was subjected to a day full of classes where she was overloaded with homework and stressed out beyond belief by her professors. Trying to get some of her work done was impossible, for the common room was particularly loud that late afternoon and Harry and Ginny had chosen to sit right across from her while she attempted to be productive. Raynea figured dinner would be a nice break, and headed down to the Great Hall with Ron and Seamus.

All throughout dinner, Seamus and Dean were making annoyingly crude jokes and decided to involve Raynea in some of them, which she usually would tolerate but tonight just wasn't in the mood for. Also, Harry and Ginny had chosen that evening to be especially nauseating and Hermione, to be particularly haughty. In spite of all this, Raynea tried to remain optimistic, but was finding it extremely difficult. In the middle of dinner, she noticed that Harry and Ginny had mysteriously disappeared, leaving Hermione to gab with Paravati Patil. Raynea found Harry and Ginny's absence to be unusual, but didn't question it.

After dinner, Raynea and Ron had separated so he could walk around with Lavender, leaving Raynea on her own. She took her usual route to the common room, not fortunate enough to beat the crowd. She was close to reaching her refuge. Just one more hallway and she would be to her dormitory. Though, something unexpected happened in the home stretch. She heard a loud whisper coming from a group passing by her as a younger Hufflepuff girl pointed at her and said something to an older student. She was unfortunate enough to pick up the conversation between the pair.

"I always thought she was with Harry Potter," the younger pupil said curiously.

"No, he's dating his best friend's sister. Ginny Weasley," the older girl replied as she stared rather obviously in Raynea's direction.

Raynea found it puzzling that this was being discussed so late in the game. Apparently, Hufflepuffs weren't tapped into campus gossip. Yet the probable reason for the discussion of the subject was awaiting Raynea at the end of the hallway. Harry and Ginny were rather noticeably snogging right in front of the portrait hole that led to the Gryffindor common room. Many students passing by were watching as the display continued on in front of them. While Raynea supposed she should be used to it by now, she wouldn't allow herself to walk within ten feet of the kissing couple. She rapidly rotated herself around and headed back down the hallway in the opposite direction.

Raynea had seen Harry and Ginny together plenty of times, but never like that. She was lucky enough to have never spotted them snogging, and seeing it for the first time was shocking to her. Being exposed to that reaffirmed in her mind the fact that Harry and Ginny were together. After seeing how intense they seemed to be with one another, Raynea was pretty sure there was no end to their relationship in sight. She held back angry tears and continued on in the opposite direction, unsure of what her destination was. To make matters worse, a familiar yet unexpected voice chimed in from behind her.

"That was quite a display, wasn't it?" Draco Malfoy said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Not now, Malfoy," Raynea responded quickly, unable to deal with him now more than ever.

"They were really going at it, weren't they?," he continued on, ignoring her pleas.

"You're disgusting," Raynea snapped, turning around suddenly to look at him then whipping her head forward once again.

"Now tell me what you really think of me," Malfoy quipped with a grin as he came up beside her.

"Stay away from me," she said in irritation, "You've done a good job of that the past few weeks. Keep it up."

"Sounds like somebody missed me," he said arrogantly.

"Not quite," Raynea replied harshly.

"Come on McCoy, admit it," he said, his voice dripping with smugness.

"Okay, I'll admit this," Raynea began, wearing an irritated expression, "These past few weeks without you have been the best I've had since I got to Hogwarts."

"I find that doubtful," Malfoy shot back.

"Think whatever you want. I have to go."

"You really have nowhere to go to…not until those two finish up—could be hours."

"Just get away from me," Raynea exclaimed, near her breaking point.

"I just have to ask," he began cruelly, "How bad did it hurt seeing them like that? Must've been a killer judging by how you're acting."

"Why does it matter?" Raynea demanded, stopping and twisting around to face him.

"Well, mostly because I could use a good laugh."

"You really need to get away from me," Raynea warned as she rerouted herself back towards the common room.

"Enjoy your misery!" Malfoy called after her with a cold laugh.

Raynea made her way back to the dormitory with a horrible feeling in her stomach. She was hoping beyond hope that Harry and Ginny had chosen to relocate themselves to a more secluded area. For once hope had gotten her somewhere, for when she returned to the portrait hole, they were gone. Raynea uttered a sigh of relief before giving the Fat Lady the password and entering the Gryffindor common room. She made her way through the common room without paying the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings. She didn't care anymore. She just wanted to be in bed, away from everything else. Her only sanctuary from all the bad things that seemed to be happening in her life was when she was asleep. That was the only time she could even come close to feeling normal again.

***

After his short lived confrontation with Raynea, Draco headed to the Slytherin common room, feeling especially ill at ease. He had done so well the last month keeping away from Raynea—so well that even she noticed his sudden disappearance from her life. He was mentally beating himself up for giving in. Truthfully, it had taken an excruciating amount of effort for him to stay away from her. Anytime he saw her in the hallway, he was tempted to start one of their bickering matches and he found himself staring at her in the Great Hall during meals.

He honestly didn't know what was wrong with him. Often, he would lay awake at night and question why he even felt an attraction to her in the first place. After all the time he had spent admiring her from afar, he still wasn't able to piece together her appeal. He had been content hating her for the first four years of their association, what changed? Draco decided to let it go as he entered the Slytherin common room. He didn't want to ruin his entire evening.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:  I just wanted to thank the few that left reviews! The encouragement is very much appreciated. I hope you like this chapter! Please, please, please review!! Thanks! :)**

Raynea found herself staring at the ceiling for most of the night rather than actually being able to get even a moment of sleep. There was a lot on her mind, for one thing, the Harry and Ginny fiasco. She came to the conclusion that holding in all of her feelings wasn't doing her any good, so she would have to come to terms with them. The only way to do that would be to confront Harry, something she was dreading to do. Despite her anger, she wasn't interested in putting any additional pressure on Harry. She truly wanted him to be happy and Ginny seemed to put that desire into action, but she couldn't go on pretending like everything was okay when it wasn't.

After a predominantly sleepless night, Raynea got out of bed and showered and dressed promptly before heading down to the Great Hall. She had gotten a particularly early start, hoping to catch Harry before Ginny joined him for breakfast. This paid off, for Harry was sitting on his own at the Gryffindor table when she arrived. She approached him immediately, not wanting to waste any time.

"Hi, Harry," Raynea said in a calm voice that contradicted everything she was feeling.

"Hey Rayne, you're here early today," Harry replied with a soft smile.

"Yeah, there's a reason for that actually," she told him with a slight chuckle, "Could we talk somewhere quieter for a minute?"

"Sure," he said suspiciously, curious to this sudden change in routine.

Raynea led him to one of the outdoor hallways and took a seat on a bench that was there. He followed suit, but was careful to leave some space between them. People definitely liked to talk at Hogwarts and he didn't want to give them anything to work with.

"So, you said you needed to talk to me," Harry stated with interest.

"Er—yeah," Raynea began, starting to feel anxious, "These past few weeks, we haven't had much of a chance to talk."

"I know," Harry admitted, "It's been crazy. Between lessons with Dumbledore, actual school and…other things…we, uh, don't really get to see each other."

"Yeah and there's something I've wanted to talk to you about for awhile," Raynea said in a hushed voice, starting to lose her nerve.

"Well you can tell me now," Harry responded with a smile.

"Harry…." she trailed off, "Bloody hell, this is hard…"

"What?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"Talking to you is…hard."

"What? Why? It's just me."

"Exactly," Raynea stated, casting her eyes downward.

"What'd you mean?" he inquired, appearing quite taken aback by the way their conversation was turning out.

"I just…I've been telling myself that everything was fine with you and me, but its not," she said, redirecting her gaze to him.

Harry looked back at her rather intensely. He knew what she was talking about, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it, especially not to her.

"I'm really angry, Harry," she pressed on, "and I can't pretend like I'm not."

He looked closely at her, feeling like a complete idiot for not having the guts to say anything in reply. After a short pause, Raynea continued on.

"I don't want you to think I'm saying all this to make you feel bad. You have the right to be with whoever you chose, but I have to know…why would you ask me to wait for you if you were going to go ahead and date someone else?"

Raynea felt herself starting to get emotional, though she was succeeding in keeping her voice even. She noticed that Harry looked like he knew all the things he wanted to say, but wasn't able to say them. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment then stared down into his lap before returning his eyes to her face. She could sense his uneasiness.

"I dunno," Harry said at long last.

"Its okay if you changed your mind," Raynea told him. She rather find out that he had a change of heart then be stuck in limbo like this.

"It's not that," he replied quickly, looking piercingly into her glassy eyes.

"Okay…" she said, feeling more confused then ever. She had come to the conclusion that trying to figure out Harry Potter was completely impossible.

"I just need you to be my friend right now," Harry stated desperately. He didn't want to lose her in any capacity. There was a long pause between them where neither one looked at the other.

"No," Raynea responded in a hoarse voice, breaking the silence and shaking her head.

Harry looked at her with pleading eyes. This wasn't what either of them wanted.

"I can't do it," she added on after a moment as she stood up and made her way down the hallway, leaving him stunned behind her.

***

Raynea returned to the Great Hall feeling as though she had accomplished nothing. That conversation hadn't ended the way she hoped it would. She didn't expect Harry to dump Ginny for her, but she thought she would at least get some answers. The fact that she was still able to walk was surprising to her as she made her way over to Ron and sat beside him absentmindedly.

"Where've you been?" he questioned as he nibbled on a piece of bacon.

"Nowhere, I was just running late, that's all," she replied, staring straight ahead of her in somewhat of a daze.

Ron nodded in understanding as he ate his breakfast then proceeded to joke around with Seamus and Lavender, leaving Raynea to sit with her thoughts. She didn't mind this. She was more than happy to leave Ron out of it. He didn't deserve to get involved in this chaos. Though after a few moments, he questioned her silence.

"You alright?"

"Absolutely," Raynea said, hoping she sounded more confident then she felt.

"You sure? You seem distracted," Ron told her with a furrowed brow.

"No, I'm just a little tired but I'm fine," she assured him as she feigned a smile.

He let the matter drop and continued his conversation with the others. Raynea allowed herself to zone out during breakfast, her attention only being caught by Harry's entrance into the Great Hall. He looked rather melancholy but started grinning after spending a few moments with Ginny and Hermione. Raynea chose only to glance at him once or twice but otherwise made an effort not to look in his direction. She felt his eyes fall on her for a moment and sensed when he looked away. Dealing with this was going to be just as difficult as she had thought.

***

On a cold, Saturday afternoon, Raynea trekked out onto the grounds to have a day of relaxation. After the events of the week, she thought maybe this would lighten her mood. Since the day of her confrontation with Harry, things hadn't improved much. Raynea had made the decision not to tell Ron about what had happened and this kept her feeling burdened. However, she knew in her heart she was doing the right thing. In addition to that, having lost both Hermione _and _Harry weighed upon her. She was just thankful to have Ron and especially Shane. Though she hadn't told him about what happened, he seemed to be extra accommodating the past few days as if he could sense something was bothering her. Also, for the past few nights, she had been getting little to no sleep which left her feeling rather dead, but she pressed on. In spite of all the horrible things she felt, Raynea tried to remain optimistic, though she wasn't doing a very good job of it. Yet she was successfully keeping her emotions in check, which pleased her.

The wind was strong that afternoon and the grounds were quite barren. It was very cold that day and most of the students had chosen to remain indoors. Raynea past by a few groups of people as she approached the lake and found an area far away from them to make camp. She sat down in the cool grass and leaned against the tree behind her as she placed the stack of books she had brought out to read beside her.

Raynea's attempts to read were rather ill fated. She found it difficult to focus and the wind kept causing her to lose track of what page she was on. After awhile, she gave up and snapped the book shut before tossing it on the ground beside her. She sighed heavily as she began to overlook the scenery before her. Although it was especially chilly, the grounds actually looked rather beautiful. It was overcast, but the trees gracefully swayed with the wind and the water of the lake appeared to be glimmering more than usual. Raynea took in this scene and felt overcome with emotion. She thought she was doing such a good job keeping what she was feeling inside, but she found that she couldn't anymore. Tears coated her eyes as Raynea finally began to allow herself to express her unhappiness.

* **

Since the incident from earlier in the week, Draco had not slipped up in his resolution. He had avoided Raynea at all costs, even though it still took tremendous effort. By the time the weekend rolled around, he figured it would be easy to evade her. He planned to spend most of his time in the common room or up in his dormitory with Pansy. Though before he did this, he figured he would get some fresh air. Following a quick trip down to the lake, Draco would only leave the Slytherin dormitories for meals that weekend. He was set in that decision.

Once he reached his destination, Draco lingered in front of the glistening black water for a few moments to breath in the fresh air. A large gust of wind blew by, causing him to take a few steps back and turn his head. He narrowed his stinging eyes as the wind picked up even more and cursed under his breath. A few more moments passed then it settled and he was able to properly see again. As this happened, he noticed a dark haired girl sitting at the base of a tree about twenty feet away. He rolled his eyes in frustration and let out a sigh.

"Bloody hell," he muttered to himself as he made his way towards the tree.

When he approached, he observed that Raynea's eyes were glassy and her nose was red. He figured this was from the wind and didn't question it any further.

"You're mad for sitting out here when it's like this," Malfoy said rudely as he towered over her.

"Yeah…I must be," she replied quietly after a short pause, never taking her eyes off the distance ahead.

He could tell by her voice that she had been crying and this puzzled him. Draco had never seen her cry, never. He was thrown by this, but was even more confused by his reaction to it.

"Are you alright?" he asked, immediately shocked by what he had just said.

Raynea shrugged and smiled sadly as she continued to gaze off into the distance.

"Not really."

"What happened?" Malfoy pressed further. He didn't really take a sympathetic tone, but the fact that he was even asking was strange enough.

"Why do you care?" Raynea inquired unemotionally, still not looking in his direction.

"Just tell me what happened," he commanded, ignoring her last question.

"No, just forget it," Raynea said, swallowing and allowing a few tears to fall down her face.

Malfoy inhaled heavily as he took a seat beside her, resting his elbows against his knees and directing his stare towards the lake. Neither one looked at the other while they sat in silence. Another gust of wind blew causing Raynea's long, dark hair to fly back behind her and Malfoy to squint uncomfortably. A small chunk of time passed and the wind died down. At this point, Draco chose to speak.

"Whatever it is…it'll be okay," he stated, his voice not void of encouragement, but not sincere either. Raynea nodded at his last comment.

"Thanks," she uttered as she folded her lips.

After sitting in silence for a few more minutes, Malfoy stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants as another huge blast of wind started up.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed.

Shortly after his outburst, the wind calmed and Draco prepared to take his leave.

"Why did you come over here?" Raynea questioned suddenly, looking up at him for the first time during their encounter.

"Well I was going to come over and bother you a little, but I figured since you were crying it was kinda pointless. Plus, its just not fun when I'm not the cause of your misery," Draco explained quickly, hoping he sounded convincing.

"How kind of you," Raynea replied dryly, rolling her tear filled eyes, "Just shove off."

"Will do," he said impolitely as he turned to leave. However, something caused him to remain there for just a moment longer.

"I think this goes without saying, but don't mention this moment to anyone," he instructed with narrowed eyes, "It was just a fluke, anyhow."

"Please, who in the hell would I really tell about this?" Raynea asked with a raised eyebrow, "It's pathetic enough that I even let you try to comfort me."

"Hmmm…pathetic. Good word to describe you," Malfoy said with a dark smile.

"Just leave," Raynea ordered in annoyance, directing her attention back to the lake.

Malfoy held up his hands defensively and offered her a smug eyebrow raise before heading off towards the castle.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: This is kinda a short update, but it's all a timing thing. The next chapter will be much longer and way more action packed. Thank you to anyone who left a review, though they are few. Thank you! Please, please, please, please, please leave a review for this chapter or any in the future. I seriously need feedback! I'm having some trouble deciding how I want things to go. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Thanks so much! :)**

Raynea traveled back to the Gryffindor common room later that afternoon feeling strangely refreshed. Finally letting out her emotions helped her to gain some perspective which helped to improve her mood quite a bit. Once she reached her destination, she plopped down on the couch beside Ron, who was on his own for once. Lately, Lavender had been attached to his arm relentlessly. Raynea couldn't tell whether he loved or hated this, but she opted for the latter. The annoyed look that formed on his face anytime Lavender appeared at his side was definitely the tip off.

"What're you doing here alone on a Saturday afternoon?" Raynea questioned with a smile.

"Trying to do some homework," Ron replied, sounding stressed for probably one of the first times in his life, "I'm way behind. Ever since Lavender…I have no time to do anything."

Raynea chuckled quietly at her friend's predicament. She felt bad for him, but she couldn't help but see the humor in the situation.

"This isn't funny, Rayne," Ron said frantically, shaking the book in his hands for emphasis, "I'm basically screwed. I can't remember the last time I actually did an assignment."

"Since you're in a bind, I'll let you copy anything you haven't done yet," Raynea offered with a grin, "Just don't make it look too obvious."

"Thank you so much," Ron responded with a sigh of relief as he snapped his book shut, "Have I ever told you that you're the best?"

"No, but I figured it was implied," Raynea joked as she patted him on the shoulder.

They broke off into a short fit of laughter as Ron propped his feet up on the table in front of them.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" he inquired as his laughter subsided.

"What gives you the idea that I'm in 'such a good mood?'" Raynea asked curiously.

"Well you're laughing for one thing," Ron said pointedly.

"What'd you mean? I laugh all the time," she shot back with a smirk.

"I mean really laughing. I can tell when you're faking at breakfast, you know. You're really smiling too, plus you're letting me copy your homework."

"I didn't know I was so obvious," Raynea laughed, wondering if anyone else noticed how often she forced a smile or a chuckle. Maybe she had seemed more depressed then she realized.

"Well what's got you so happy?" Ron asked, curious to his best friend's sudden change in mood. She had never treated him badly, but something had been off with Raynea the past couple weeks. He was relieved to see her back to her old lively self again.

"Surprisingly enough, the fact that I spent the last hour crying," Raynea said with a chuckle as she tucked her long, dark curls behind her ears.

"Really?" Ron questioned disbelievingly, raising his eyebrows and grinning in amusement.

Raynea nodded and allowed the smile on her face to grow. She was relieved to finally have some emotional release. In addition to her freshly obtained happiness, she was also a bit surprised. She found it odd that Draco Malfoy would even attempt to console her. He wasn't exactly trying very hard, but the fact that any effort was put forth shocked her. Nevertheless, his words had truly helped her and for this, Raynea was grateful.

***

"_What in the hell was that?_" Draco thought heatedly once he had reached the Slytherin common room.

Too many odd things had happened in the last half hour that he couldn't even begin to comprehend. Running into Raynea was just ironic to him and the fact that she happened to be crying was just irritating. He hadn't showed her kindness by any means, but he wasn't being the jackass he usually was to her. Still, he decided avoiding Raynea wasn't the answer. In fact, his plan had back fired. Draco clenched his fists tightly as he thought back to their meeting by the lake.

"That bloody bint," he muttered aloud.

"What's wrong with you, Draco?" Pansy asked as she approached him. Apparently she had noticed the irate expression on his face and came over to comfort him.

"Nothing," he snapped, folding his arms across his chest.

"You sure?" Pansy questioned, "There's nothing I could do to make you feel better?"

She was propositioning him. That was obvious. Draco sighed and uncrossed his arms.

"Eh, what the hell?" he said with an eye roll, grabbing Pansy by the hand and leading her to his dormitory. He figured he could always decide what to do about Raynea later. A distraction at this point would be nice.

***

It was early November and things definitely had been looking up. Raynea spent much of her time hanging around with Shane and his group of Ravenclaws, especially as Ron and Lavender became more and more inseparable. She understood, though. Obviously Ron had to spend time with his girlfriend, and Raynea had no problem making it easier for them to do so. Ron respected her for that. At least she wasn't making it even harder for him to be seen with Lavender in the castle. Hermione was still thoroughly annoyed, making it uncomfortable for him to display his relationship. Luckily, Raynea wasn't following in her footsteps.

However, for Draco, the past week or so had not been easy. Raynea had been on his mind almost constantly and Pansy was definitely not an adequate distraction. He was especially irritated seeing her pal around with "that Ravenclaw ponce," as he so kindly referred to Shane. He never voiced his frustration aloud, though. Thinking it alone was horrifying enough to him. Still, he wished he could say something to someone. Keeping it all inside wasn't going to help any. In fact, it just caused him to act more erratically.

One day, after he had just finished classes for the day, Draco planned to meet some friends at the lake to take a load off. On his way there, he was unfortunately subjected to the sight of Raynea saying her goodbyes to her Ravenclaw friend. As she headed in his direction to make her way to the castle, Draco found himself conflicted. He was trying his best to avoid any sort of verbal contact with her, but he could sense a slip up coming. The temptation was just too great.

"Having fun with your Ravenclaw gits?" he questioned harshly.

Raynea rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

"And to think…I was just saying what a great day I was having," she snapped in irritation.

"I guess it just went from great to super," Draco responded slyly with a dark sneer.

"Not so much," Raynea said as she folded her lips, feeling nothing now but aggravation.

"Seems you're feeling a lot better since my little pep talk the other day," he mocked with an arrogant tone.

"Oh yeah, that's what did it," Raynea replied sarcastically as she passed by him.

As he always did, Draco followed after her.

"Oh come on, McCoy, give me some credit," he continued on as he trailed closely behind her.

"What happened to never bringing that moment up ever again?" she demanded.

"Well, I thought about it and realized how awesome I was. Now, I wanna hear you say it."

"Never gonna happen," Raynea shot back, raising her eyebrows to show her displeasure.

"Plus, that was a pretty pathetic scene. I won't lie," Draco said in an effort to be patronizing, "Might as well remind you of how weak you are." Raynea spun around at this and shot him a deadly glare.

"I'm not weak, you jackass," she said furiously, "What do you even want?"

"I was bored…figured I'd stir up some trouble in paradise," he told her with a shrug and a smirk.

"Just back off, I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now—or ever for that matter," Raynea stated, her voice dripping with disgust.

"Please," Malfoy scoffed, "You know you love it."

"Talking to you? Not in the slightest," Raynea shot back.

"Come on, you love it as much as I do—"

"What?" Raynea demanded suddenly, totally taken aback by his last comment, "You love talking to me? I find that doubtful."

There was a delay in his reply.

"Well, yeah…" he said, trailing off for a moment, "You know; because I make you miserable, ruin your day, what could be more satisfying than knowing I did that?"

He could think of a few things.

Raynea raised her eyebrows in annoyed understanding before preparing to take her leave.

"What?" Draco began, hoping to right his horrible wrong, "You didn't think I actually like talking to you in the traditional way, did you?"

"I don't know what I thought," Raynea replied with an eye roll, "All I know is, I wanna get the hell away from you. So now, we say good-bye."

With that final word, Raynea took off down the hallway, leaving Malfoy in her dust.

Draco's heart was racing as he headed towards the lake. That was the most obvious he had ever been. The closest he had come to—no, he wouldn't let it happen. No one would ever know how he felt. He didn't even want to know. In fact, he wished he had never made such a disgusting realization in the first place.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to those who reviewed! I really hope you enjoy this chapter, cause it's super important! It's probably one of the most important chapters in the whole story. Anyway, please review, especially on this particular update. Thanks! :)**

The next few days, Draco tried his best to keep Raynea out of his thoughts. These attempts were fruitless, however, for his predicament plagued him relentlessly. During meals, he would glance at the Gryffindor table so often that his friends would ask him what he was staring at. In classes, he could barely pay attention and found himself looking in Raynea's direction in any class that the two of them shared. Whenever Raynea was seen with Shane, Draco would discover the horrible emotion he was experiencing was jealousy—something he never thought he'd have to ever endure. The situation was driving him mad and he was ready to crack. Draco wished his feelings would just disappear; that one morning he would wake up and Raynea would be completely off his radar, but no such luck.

Another week passed, and things were at an all time high. Draco would avoid Raynea in any way he could. However, the temptation to engage her in conversation was strong. He had never been so miserable and he thought it odd that as his misery grew, so did his attraction.

On the other hand, things for Raynea were looking up. She had gotten used to her new routine and found that much of the pain she felt was now on the back burner. Though it was limited, the time she spent with Ron was always enjoyable and the increase in association with her Ravenclaw friends also brought her happiness. Raynea had grown quite close to Shane and was glad to have him around if she ever felt down. Despite all the good, she would not deny how much she missed Harry and Hermione. Luckily, she had not been forced to witness any other passionate moments between Harry and Ginny, and for that she was grateful. Raynea was quite content with the way things had been going lately. Unfortunately, this calm would be short lived.

The first snow of the season came especially early that year. It was mid-November and already the school was covered in a thick blanket of snow. Raynea spent her Saturday afternoon hanging around outside with her Ravenclaw companions. They talked a little, walked around campus and had a good natured snow ball fight. It was the perfect way to enjoy the first snow of the season with good friends. As the afternoon progressed, the others chose to go inside, however, Raynea and Shane decided to hang back and take another stroll around the grounds before going inside for the day.

"So, you like the old gang?" Shane asked, glancing back up at his friends for a moment before fixing his deep brown eyes on Raynea's face.

"Yeah, they're all really nice," Raynea responded with a bright smile as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her black coat.

"Good," he said with a small smile as he inhaled the cold air sharply.

After a few moments of silence, he continued on.

"I'm glad we're doing this. We don't really spend much one on one time together anymore."

"I suppose we haven't," Raynea agreed as she shook some of the flakes of snow out of her long, brown curls.

"We barely get to talk like this at all," he added, shifting his eyes to her and offering her a closed lip grin, "I've missed you."

"You don't have to miss me, Shane," Raynea chuckled, "I'm right here."

"Yeah, I guess," Shane said with a shrug as he fixed his eyes on the path in front of them.

The pair continued their stroll in a comfortable silence and decided to head towards the castle once the wind started picking up.

"So, there's a trip to Hogsmeade next week," Shane informed her.

"Oh yeah, I've heard about that," Raynea said as she folded her lips.

"And I was thinking, maybe we could go together…" he suggested, stopping suddenly.

Raynea followed suit and then turned to face him.

"Sure, is everybody okay with me tagging along?" she questioned. She knew that the group was comfortable with her, but she didn't want to overstep her boundaries.

"Well actually, I was just thinking you and I could go," Shane clarified, seeming to get tense all of a sudden.

"Oh…well, uh—"

Shane cut her off suddenly and took a step closer to her.

"Look, Raynea, I know this is a little weird and kinda out of the blue but I like you and I want to spend some time with you," he explained as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

Raynea was quite taken aback by this proclamation. She never thought that there was anything romantic about her friendship with Shane, but apparently she was horrible at reading signs.

"_Why do I suck so much at this?" _she thought, _"I mean, it took me two years to figure out Harry liked me and now I've been totally blind to Shane? What the hell?" _

Raynea took a deep breath and thoroughly examined the situation. She and Shane did get along quite well and he wasn't bad to look at either. He was a medium height, had a nice build, big, brown eyes, tan skin and curly, dark hair. The perfect Italian boy. She decided even though she didn't have any definite feelings for Shane, perhaps it was worth a shot.

"Sure, let's go to Hogsmeade together," she replied finally with a smile.

"Great," Shane said with a large grin, "It's a date."

He brought her close and gave her a quick hug before taking off on his own up the hill. Raynea exhaled heavily once he was out of ear shot and turned her head up towards the sky. Snow was still falling pretty heavily at this point, and she figured she should get inside. Howe

However, instead she decided to linger for just a bit longer.

***

Draco had spent the majority of his Saturday in the Slytherin common room with Pansy. This of course was an effort to keep his distance from Raynea, which he had succeeded in doing thus far. He just hoped his decision to take a quick walk outside wouldn't totally destroy his progress.

Once he reached the grounds, he buttoned up his coat as a particularly nasty wind chill passed against him. He was part way down a hill, when suddenly two figures came into view. He recognized them almost immediately.

"Where's the bloody luck?" he cursed aloud as he stopped dead in his tracks.

Draco continued to watch the scene before him, but was unable to hear any of the dialogue.

"_Why is she always with this prick?" _he thought bitterly as he watched their encounter.

Soon, the conversation seemed to be coming to a close, but not before the Ravenclaw gave Raynea a farewell hug. Draco's stomach contracted uncomfortably and his face fell as he stared ahead. However, his depression turned to rage rather quickly as Shane headed up the hill. Draco quickly ducked behind a tree, hoping he went unnoticed. After he knew the boy was gone, Draco headed down the hill and immediately approached Raynea, ignoring his resolution completely.

***

Raynea's solitude was brief, for soon afterward she saw a tall, pale figure approaching her. She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. She recognized him in an instant.

"A bit cold to be outside, isn't it?" Malfoy questioned with a rude tone as he came closer to her.

"It got a bit colder once you showed up," Raynea shot back with an eyebrow raise.

"Not in a very good mood today, are we?" he asked, wincing for dramatic effect.

"I'm just fine, thank you," she told him, as she turned to walk away.

Draco stopped her before she could even begin walking.

"Who's the bloke?" he said suddenly as he took a step forward.

Raynea twisted back around to face him and shrugged.

"Just a friend."

"Didn't look that way to me," Malfoy replied, his voice sounding extremely agitated.

"What, were you watching us or something?"

"Please, I have better things to do then watch you and that git," he scoffed, "I'm just saying you two looked a little more than friendly, that's all."  
"Why do you even care?" Raynea challenged.

"I don't care," he jeered, "You must be joking."

"Whatever," Raynea sighed in annoyance, hoping then she would be free to leave.

"…but are you?"

"Are we what?" Raynea asked harshly.

"More than friendly?"

"No…what the—why does it even matter?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It doesn't matter," Draco said tensely, "I was just asking."

"Yeah, well why are you 'just asking'? Why do you care?" Raynea inquired, her voice growing louder.

"Care? Are you mad?" Malfoy mocked with cold laughter.

"Then, why do you keep asking me about it?"

Draco seemed to get extremely flustered at this point and had trouble trying to put his thoughts together. He couldn't even reply with a good comeback. He narrowed his eyes.

"Hmmm…for once I've silenced you, Malfoy," Raynea said with a grin, seeming satisfied with herself. She made another attempt to leave, but he called after her.

"Why do you spend so much time with that ponce if you don't even like him?"

Raynea turned back to face him and took a few steps forward.

"I like him just fine," she said with a puzzled look.

"So, you like him?" Malfoy asked angrily.

"He's my friend," Raynea told him, her tone growing increasingly aggravated, "Why are we even still talking about this?"

"Well, do you like him?" he pressed further, disregarding her question completely.

"As a friend…why are you even asking me this?" she demanded.

"Raynea, will you just shut the—"

"What did you just call me?" Raynea asked, seeming utterly repulsed by the fact that Malfoy had said her first name.

"Bloody hell," he said with an eye roll, "Are you seriously getting on me for calling you by your name?"

"Well, yeah, considering you've called me nothing but 'McCoy' and 'bitch' for the last five years," Raynea said pointedly.

"Fine, I won't call you Raynea…bitch."

Raynea stared at him with narrowed eyes for a moment before taking a step closer.

"What's going on with you?" she questioned.

"What'd you mean?" He appeared to get really uncomfortable at this time.

"Well, you keep asking me about my love life, you helped me up that one time and you called me by my first name…all signs point to insanity," Raynea explained.

"Please, you're imagining all this stuff," he spat, "Like I'd ever…"

"I'm not imagining it," Raynea said, "What the hell are you doing?"

Draco stared at her for a moment and his expression softened slightly. He lowered his voice and took a step towards her so that they were only inches apart.

"…Why do you think I follow you around all the time? ...Why do you think I'm so hard on you all the time? …Why do you think I do any of it?"

Raynea's cast her eyes downwards and took a deep breath then returned her gaze to his face.

"You tell me," she said at long last.

Draco's expression hardened once again and he sighed in exasperation.

"You slow witted bint…do I have to spell it out for you?" he yelled.

Raynea stood there for a moment, trying to take in what he was saying. Suddenly, everything clicked and she opened her mouth in realization. A feeling of intense nausea came over her and she felt as though she couldn't even stand.

"You… have got… to be kidding me…" she said, grasping her stomach. She looked like she was going to be sick.

"I know it's completely mad…" Draco chimed in, stepping even closer to her.

Raynea looked at him furiously and backed away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked, coming off crueler than she intended.

"Like I bloody know," he shot back, "You're inside my head…"

"Stop!" Raynea shouted, holding her arm out, almost as if to shield herself from him.

"You have to admit, it'd be interesting," Malfoy said as he came towards her.

"No…not interesting…horrifying…disgusting…bad," Raynea rambled on, continuing to back away from him.

"Look, this isn't exactly peaches and cream for me either," Draco said fiercely, "You think I like this? It's bloody awful."

"Then…make it stop," Raynea stated with pleading eyes, backing away as he advanced her.

"I can't," he replied through gritted teeth.

"Well try harder," Raynea exclaimed as her back hit the tree behind her, making it impossible to back up any farther.

"I'm telling you, I have tried, you bitch," Draco said viciously, his face now only about a foot from Raynea's, "It won't go away."

Raynea looked up into his piercing grey eyes, feeling extremely uncomfortable by their proximity to one another. She was panicked and truly lost for words. Malfoy began speaking again, breaking the short silence.

"Raynea, I—"

"Don't!" Raynea interrupted sharply, pushing past him then turning back around so they were face to face, "Just …Stay away from me."

Raynea glared at him once more before heading up the hill, unable to stand the sight of him any longer.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hope you like this update. I'm not sure if I'm keeping this chapter or not, so please give me some feedback. REVIEWS are always appreciated. Thanks! :)**

"He what?" Ron demanded as his face grew red from the intense rage he was experiencing.

"Malfoy…he…wants me," Raynea verified, cringing as she spoke.

"We are talking about Draco Malfoy, right?" Ron questioned with an angered tone.

"Yep, that'd be the one," she stated. Raynea bridged the top of her nose with her fingers, hoping to cease the head ache that was coming on. She was still in shock from the afternoon's events and Ron's violent reaction wasn't helping any.

"I can't believe this," Ron said, "After all the years you two have spent feuding, it turns out that Malfoy…"

"…gets off on it," Raynea suggested with a gag.

Ron narrowed his eyes furiously for a moment as his hands clenched into tight fists.

"What the bloody hell is he thinking?" he inquired.

"That it'd be 'interesting,'" Raynea replied, using Malfoy's exact words to get her point across.

"Wait a minute…he actually mentioned the idea of you two together?" Ron exclaimed as his anger sky rocketed.

"Well…not exactly," she began with an eye roll, "I'm not sure. I really don't know what he's thinking."

"I know exactly what he's bloody thinking," Ron said loudly, "Stupid git. I'm gonna go kick his ass."

He stood up at this point, seeming ready for action. Raynea jumped up after him and grabbed him by the shoulders as she slowly sat him back down.

"Ron, don't," Raynea insisted with wide eyes, "I don't wanna make this a bigger deal than it actually is."

"It is a big deal, Rayne," Ron told her with a serious expression, "Malfoy's a total creep and if he thinks there's any possibility for the two of you, he's never gonna leave you alone."

"He knows nothing could ever happen…I think…" Raynea trailed off and bit her lip anxiously.

"You think?" Ron asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well…I said the idea of us together is horrifying and disgusting," Raynea explained, "Do you think that made it clear enough?"

"I dunno," Ron responded as he shrugged, "This whole thing is just completely mad. I swear if he bothers you again…"

Ron trailed off as he imagined all the ways to beat the crap out of Malfoy and shook his head irritably.

"He…might," she admitted with a worried look, "I dunno…I'm not sure what he'll do. Maybe since I rejected him, he'll just back off."

Raynea smiled innocently, hoping that she would convince both Ron and herself that her last statement was true. Though in her heart, she knew it wasn't.

"When has Malfoy ever just 'backed off?'" Ron questioned pointedly.

"Good point," Raynea agreed with an aggravated eye brow raise, "I guess…I should go talk to him."

"No way," Ron said.

"Well, what am I supposed to do, Ron?"

"Stay away from him," he instructed, "I'll make sure he never bothers you again."

Ron hopped up from the couch once again, completely prepared to tear apart Malfoy but Raynea stopped him before he could even begin walking.

"Ron, no," she stated with pleading eyes, "This is bad enough without you getting detention for shoving Malfoy down a flight of stairs."

"Fine," Ron gave in, "I won't beat him to a bloody pulp, as long as you promise not to go try to talk to him."

"Deal," Raynea said, shaking Ron's hand to assure her word.

"…but I swear, if that ass gives you a hard time again…" Ron threatened as he shook his head.

"He won't…we hope," Raynea replied in an effort to be comforting. She offered her friend a small smile as they took their seats on the couch once again.

"You had a helluva day," Ron stated.

"You're telling me…"Raynea agreed as she rolled her eyes.

***

That evening, Raynea decided to head down to the library to get ahead in a few of the classes she was taking. She found that the more she did in advance, the less she'd have to do later. She appreciated this, especially as the holidays were only a little over a month away. Raynea hoped she'd be able to concentrate. After everything that had happened that day, she questioned whether or not she'd have the ability to get anything done.

Once she reached the library, Raynea took a seat at a table towards the back in an effort to avoid any more possible distractions. She laid out her school materials and stacked up her books in order to create an optimum working space. After doing this, Raynea sorted through her assignments and decided to work on Potions first. She sighed in exasperation once she realized that she had to go searching for a particular book to complete her assignment. She got up slowly and dragged herself towards a group of bookshelves. She spent a moment examining the shelves before she noticed someone sitting at a table behind her. Raynea spun around slowly and saw none other than Draco Malfoy was occupying the table. He was reading a book and seemed not to notice her. Raynea gulped uncomfortably, hoping that her presence would remain clandestine. Unfortunately, as she prepared to make a grab for the book she needed, Raynea knocked over a pile of books stacked up beside her, causing them to tumble to the floor loudly. She shut her eyes and cringed as the boy sitting behind her looked up at the ruckus.

His eyes locked on Raynea and the two shared a moment of awkward eye contact. Raynea's jaw was dropped slightly and her eyes were wide. Malfoy merely stared back at her at first, then his expression became darkly amused. Raynea looked from side to side in panic as his gaze remained on her. Finally, she inhaled and approached his table resolutely. She decided to disregard the pact she had made with Ron earlier. Leaving things the way they were was not a possibility. It was just too weird.

As Raynea came closer to the table, she noticed that Malfoy's eyes trailed from her knees then slowly up to her face. She gave him a dirty look as she stood across from him.

"What the—you can't just look at me like that," Raynea exclaimed with an irritated expression.

He shrugged and offered her a smirk. She sighed heavily and decided to try to ignore his gross behavior. At this point, she just wanted to focus on bettering their current situation.

"I was thinking…maybe we should talk about what happened earlier," Raynea suggested with a grave look.

"And why is that?" Malfoy asked mockingly. He was acting especially cocky which was surprising, considering he had made a complete ass of himself earlier that day.

"Well…because…I just wanted to make a few things clear," Raynea told him.

"Alright," he said with the same arrogant air about him.

"I just—you should know that when I said all those things about your...interest," she paused for a moment and shuddered, "… I was serious. What I mean is, I don't return your—"

"Desire," Malfoy supplied for her, his smirk ever present.

"Yes," Raynea said with a nod, "I think it'd be better if you just let it go."

Malfoy nodded slowly, as if to make it apparent that he was taking it all in. His smirk grew before he gave his response.

"No," he stated simply.

"No?" Raynea questioned as her jaw dropped.

"You heard me," he said coolly.

"But—but—but—"

"I'm a Slytherin, Raynea," Malfoy reminded her as he stood up.

"Don't call me that…just…no," Raynea rambled on frantically.

"I'm a Slytherin," he repeated, "and I'm not giving up that easily."

Malfoy raised his eyebrows smugly as he circled around the table and started walking down the adjacent aisle. Raynea's jaw remained dropped as she followed after him. She wasn't prepared to let Malfoy win.

"You can't just—"

"Besides," he added conceitedly, ignoring her pleas, "You're attracted to me, too."

"What?" Raynea demanded as the same feeling of nausea from earlier overcame her.

"You know there's something between us," Malfoy explained, "and you want to find out exactly what it is. That's why you even bothered coming over here to talk to me in the first place."

"Are you completely insane?" Raynea yelled.

Draco grinned viciously as he took a few steps towards her. Raynea backed up quickly, but he continued his advances.

"You're completely mad," she continued loudly, "There is nothing between us but loathing."

"I wish that was true," Malfoy responded.

"It is true! Malfoy, I hate you…with a passion," Raynea said, kicking herself mentally for using the word 'passion' in this particular conversation.

"Actually, you don't," he told her.

"Yes, I do. You make me sick," Raynea stated hysterically, "And it's not a one sided thing…you hate me, too. Everything is status quo."

"How many times do I have to tell you…?" Malfoy began, anger finally entering his countenance, "I—"

"Stop!" Raynea exclaimed, continuing to back up as he kept walking closer to her.

"You stupid bint," Draco said as he looked up at the ceiling furiously, "Just let me say it."

"No," Raynea replied desperately, "No."

"Listen to me," he commanded, advancing her until she backed into a group of bookshelves. At this point, they were only inches apart. Raynea cringed and looked away as he spoke.

"I like you…" he stated fiercely, "...a lot." Raynea retched and pushed past him.

"No, you don't," she shot back as she began to walk away. He followed close on her heels.

"You can run all you want," he told her with a cold laugh, "It doesn't change anything."

"This changes everything, you ponce," Raynea shouted as she spun around to face him.

"Ooh, call me that again," he replied teasingly with a dark smirk.

"You should not be joking about this!" Raynea exclaimed.

"Yeah?" Malfoy said with amusement in his voice, "Well, you shouldn't be in denial about this."

Raynea's jaw dropped for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. She couldn't believe she was having an argument with Draco Malfoy about their feelings, or lack thereof, for one another.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Raynea shouted in rapid succession. That was the only way she could think to sum up what she was feeling.

"Yes," Malfoy said plainly as he began to walk away.

Raynea felt her knees weaken and her limbs began to shake.

"Oh, and I just wanted to make a few things clear," he called back to her mockingly, using her words from before against her, "I have no intention of staying away from you."

Malfoy raised his eyebrows at her one final time before exiting the library. He felt extremely accomplished as he walked to the Slytherin common room.

When he had initially made his feelings clear to Raynea, he felt rather stupid. He never wanted to tell her, or anyone for that matter, but he was trapped. Though, the more he thought about it, the more he realized the relief he felt. Telling anyone would have helped ease some of his anxiety, but telling Raynea allowed his burden to completely disappear. Not only that, but once he had time to consider their entire history, Draco was certain that Raynea felt the same attraction to him—she just hadn't realized it yet. Plus, he wasn't prepared to give up so easily. Like he said, he was a Slytherin and more importantly, a Malfoy.

* **

Raynea returned to the Gryffindor common room feeling an array of emotions, frustration and disgust being the most dominant. She was desperate to find Ron and tell him what happened, regardless of the fact that she had broken their agreement. At this point, she just needed to tell someone. Once she was certain Ron wasn't in the common room, Raynea headed up to the Boys' dormitories. She opened the door swiftly when she approached her destination and strolled into the room, glad to find Ron was in his bed. He was asleep, but Raynea found no guilt in waking him. She seriously needed her best friend.

"Ron," Raynea whispered as she plopped onto the bed beside him. He didn't even stir. She sighed heavily and began to shake him.

"Ron…Ron!"

"Bloody hell…" he groaned, "Who is that?"

"It's me," Raynea stated.

"Rayne? What the hell do you want?"

"I need to talk to you," she told him as she jumped up from the bed and ripped off his blankets.

"What the—" Ron growled tiredly, "Can't we talk tomorrow?"

"No…get up!"

"Remind me to tell you tomorrow morning that I hate you…"

"It's a Saturday night, Ron. Why are you even asleep this early?"

"Lavender…" he trailed off.

"I can't believe you're hiding from your girlfriend," Raynea said with an amused grin.

"You would understand if you were dating her," Ron responded, his eyes opening for the first time during their conversation.

"Well, good thing I'm not," Raynea said quickly, desperate to tell him her latest news, "So…are you awake now?"

"I am…now," Ron stated pointedly as he sat up and leaned against his pillow.

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't do this if it wasn't completely necessary," she informed him as she sat back down on the bed.

"What happened?"

"Well…the whole not talking to Malfoy thing didn't really work…" Raynea admitted.

"What'd the git do?" Ron demanded, his tiredness being replaced with anger.

"I saw him in the library and I was trying to set the record straight, but he kept saying all these things," Raynea explained, "He told me he's not gonna stay away."

Ron shook his head in irritation. "I told you not to talk to him, Rayne!"

"I know," she replied with a hint of shame in her voice, "but I didn't think it would end up making things worse. At least now we know where he stands."

"Oh believe me, he won't be standing once I'm through with him," Ron said through gritted teeth.

"Don't do it, Ron," Raynea warned, "He's not worth it."

"You broke your end of the bargain," he pointed out, "and now its ass kicking time."

"Well, before you break out the brass knuckles, lemme tell you the rest," she said.

"There's more?" Ron asked in shock.

"Yeah, he…he said that I…" Raynea stopped herself, too disgusted to even recall the remainder of the encounter.

"What?"

"He thinks I'm…interested."

"Is he mad?" Ron questioned irately after a short pause.

"Uh, yes," Raynea said with a nod, "Just please promise me you won't say anything to him or anyone else."

"It's gonna be pretty hard to beat the crap outta him and not tell him why," Ron told her as he clenched his fists.

"Please don't do it, Ron. This blows hard enough without everyone finding out."

"Fine," he gave in, "But if he hurts you…"

"You can kick him off the Astronomy tower," Raynea agreed with a good natured smirk.

"Good," Ron said with a chuckle.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to all that reviewed! Your feedback means so much :) I Hope this chapter is good...fingers crossed. Anyway, please leave a review if you would like. Thanks!! :)**

On Sunday, Raynea refused to leave the Gryffindor tower, for she was hoping to avoid Malfoy at all costs. All the insanity that had occurred the day before left her feeling afraid, and she wasn't ready to see Malfoy in any capacity. By Monday, she had worked up enough courage to leave for breakfast and classes as long as Ron stayed with her the whole time, but she still wasn't fully prepared to face her fears.

When Ron and Raynea reached the Great Hall, Raynea scanned the area to see if Malfoy was anywhere around. She spotted him sitting at the Slytherin table laughing with a group of his chums.

"That smug bastard," Raynea said with narrowed eyes, "How can he just sit there without a care in the world, while I'm shaking like a fiend and ready to pass out?"

"Ignore him," Ron said in annoyance as he took a seat beside Lavender at the Gryffindor table. Raynea sat across from them with her back to the Slytherin table. Being in Malfoy's vicinity made her ill enough; she didn't want to make things worse by actually having to look at him.

Breakfast went by smoothly, much to Raynea's pleasure. She was relieved to head off to her first class, Ancient Runes, mostly because she and Malfoy didn't have that class together. However, she was dreading Potions, for she was unfortunate enough to have that class in common with him.

Ancient Runes went by rather quickly—too quickly in Raynea's opinion. She met up with Ron before heading off to Potions and had a rather shaky entrance into the classroom. When she finally made it over the threshold, Raynea spotted his pale, blonde head immediately. He was laughing again, and she found this to be a great injustice. After all, he was the one who had made things so uncomfortable and she was the one who had to walk around paranoid. Raynea shook her head before taking her seat beside Ron, hoping the lesson would serve as enough of a distraction.

***

Classes had ended for that day and Ron took the time to escort Raynea all the way up to the Gryffindor tower despite the fact that his true destination was the library, for he had agreed to meet up with Harry there to study a bit. After making sure Raynea had made it into the common room, Ron headed back towards the library. His walk was quite calm in the beginning, but the placidity would soon come to an end. As he turned down a corridor, Ron noticed that Malfoy walking in the direction opposite from him. Rage erupted in Ron's chest as he stared down the pale figure coming towards him. Forgetting the promises he made to Raynea, Ron decided to act. He grabbed Malfoy by the front of the robes and dragged him into an empty hallway.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Weasley?" Draco demanded as Ron tossed him into the wall behind him.

"We're gonna have a quick chat," Ron told Malfoy with a vicious expression.

"What could we possibly have to talk about?" Malfoy asked in his usual superior manner.

"You know," Ron stated with narrowed eyes.

Draco smiled coldly and shook his head in realization.

"Oh…that."

"Yeah, that," Ron verified.

"It wasn't a big deal, really," Draco said, not the least bit scared. Ron didn't intimidate him; in fact, he found it quite amusing that Ron would even attempt to threaten him.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron warned with piercing eyes, "Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"Yes, I really do."

"Keep away from her," Ron advised menacingly.

"I haven't even touched her," Malfoy replied with a cool laugh.

"I know what happened, you git," Ron said, "Stay away from her."

"No, Weasley. I'm gonna do what I damn well please and I'm not gonna let trash like you stop me."

Ron's face grew beat red and his hands clenched into fists.

"This has nothing to do with me," he began roughly, "Just leave her the hell alone. She's not interested."

"If you say so," Malfoy responded mockingly.

"It's true. If you go near her…"

"You'll do what? Punch me?"

"Just stay away from her. She doesn't want you and she never will," Ron told him with a glare before heading off down the corridor.

"We'll see," Draco said with a smirk as he straightened his robes and exited the hall himself.

***

The past few days had gone by rather smoothly. Raynea had not come across Malfoy once, not even in class. Of course, she made this possible by sitting in either the front or the back of the room for a quick get away once class ended. However, Raynea still felt quite uncomfortable with her current situation. It seemed like she was always on the run from something; like things were far from normal. Despite this, she felt that her ability to dodge any encounter with Malfoy was lucky and she hoped it would keep up. Unfortunately, Raynea's optimism had failed her once again.

Professor McGonagall had decided to assign a group project that Thursday. As she was explaining the content of the project, Raynea found herself zoning out. She had too much on her mind to focus on what she considered to be a bogus project. Besides, Raynea figured she could just ask her group what the assignment entailed.

"Now, this project will be due the following Wednesday," Professor McGonagall explained as she paced back and forth in front of the classroom, "I will be assigning pairs and after a brief consultation about strategy today in class, you and your partner will have to complete your projects on your own time."

The class groaned in unison as Professor McGonagall scanned the sea of faces before her.

"Alright, here are your pairings," she stated, pointing to people as she assigned them a group, "Ms. Patil will be working with Ms. Brown… Mr. Goyle and Mr. Weasley will be working together…Ms. Granger and Mr. Finnigan…Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Crabbe…Mr. Potter and Mr. Reese…Ms. McCoy and Mr. Malfoy—"

"What?" Raynea exclaimed aloud.

"Yes, Ms. McCoy, you will be working with Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall told her matter-of-factly.

Raynea glanced behind her to see Draco leaning back in his chair and smirking rather obviously. Once he saw that she was looking at him, he raised his eyebrows arrogantly and Raynea shuddered.

"Professor, with all due respect—"

"I'm sorry, Ms. McCoy, but my decision is final," Professor McGonagall said before listing off the remaining groups.

Raynea turned herself forward and stared ahead anxiously. She never would've guessed that one assignment could ruin her entire plan to avoid Draco Malfoy for the rest of her life. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that somehow she was just having a bad dream. When she opened her eyes once again, she found that she was still sitting in Transfiguration and sighed heavily.

"You may now meet with your partner and come up with a plan to complete your assignment," McGonagall announced as everyone began traveling throughout the room to consult with their partners.

Raynea remained in her seat, not having the will to get up and go seek out Malfoy. She was going to be stubborn about this no matter what.

"Well, well, well, looks like we've got some work ahead of us," Malfoy said coolly as he plopped into the seat beside Raynea.

"I guess," she answered quietly with a shrug.

"Why so shy all of a sudden?"

"No reason. Can we just work, please?" Raynea asked roughly.

"Whatever you say, Raynea," he replied with an eyebrow raise.

"Stop calling me that," she growled as she narrowed her eyes.

"This behavior doesn't become you," Malfoy said with a cold smirk.

Raynea was quite aware that Malfoy was trying to get a rise out of her—even more than he usually did. He was being especially unbearable.

"I know you're just trying to piss me off," she told him pointedly.

"Is it working?" he asked.

"…No," Raynea lied, evading his eyes.

"Do you always say 'no' when you mean 'yes'?" Draco questioned wryly.

"Moving on…we should probably plan what to do for this bloody project," Raynea reasoned after a short pause, trying to steer clear of the personal stuff and just focus on the matter at hand, "I can do the entire thing and you can just…be somewhere away from me."

"Not a chance. You know I take my education very seriously," he said, feigning innocence before he offered her a twisted smile.

"Right, my mistake," Raynea responded sarcastically with an eye roll, "Fine, I'll do half, and you do half."

"Alright," Malfoy agreed with a shrug, "So, when are we meeting in the library?"

"Uh, did you just miss the back half of this conversation?" she asked with growing irritation, "I'll do my half…alone… and you can do yours...also alone."

"If you insist," Draco said.

"I do," Raynea answered as she massaged her temples. Spending extended amounts of time with Draco was not doing much for her head. The anger she experienced gave her serious headaches and judging by the sudden increase in her rage, high blood pressure.

Once Professor McGonagall released the class, Raynea bolted out of the room. She had no intention in sticking around so that Malfoy could annoy her even further.

***

Raynea and Shane had decided to meet up by the lake that afternoon after class. Raynea was desperate for a distraction, so she was pleased by the suggestion.

"I can't believe this Transfiguration project," Raynea stated as an annoyed expression appeared on her face.

"I know," Shane agreed with a sigh, "I'm working with Potter. You're friends with him, right?"

Raynea froze as he spoke. She hadn't really talked much about Harry since their parting of the ways and she wasn't interested in talking about him now. No matter how much time had passed, Raynea still had feelings for him.

"Uh…yeah, sort of…" she replied slowly before deciding to switch the subject, "I just can't believe McGonagall assigned a project this late in the game. It's nearly time for break."

"Yeah, it's completely mad," Shane said as he shook his head in annoyance, "Not to mention that everyone's going to Hogsmeade on Saturday."

"Oh, yeah…Hogsmeade," Raynea said uncomfortably.

She knew that she had agreed to go with Shane on some sort of date, though she was also aware that there was no way she could ever develop an attraction to him. She didn't want to lead him on, but she didn't want to risk damaging their friendship either.

"We're still going together, right?" Shane inquired with a smile.

"Absolutely," Raynea answered as she forced a grin.

A brief silence came about, which was broken by a bellow of laughter from Shane.

"I meant to ask, what was with that fit you threw in McGonagall's class?" he asked curiously as his laughing continued.

"What fit?" Raynea knew exactly what he was talking about, but she didn't feel like divulging into the Malfoy topic again. He had been on her mind enough lately without having to bring him up in every conversation.

"You know, when McGonagall paired you with that Malfoy bloke," Shane reminded her with an amused grin.

"Oh…right," Raynea said, feigning laughter, "That's a really long story, but it's no big deal, really."

"What's the story?"

"…I just hate Malfoy," Raynea told him without going any deeper into the anecdote. She didn't want Shane to find out about her history with Draco. It was bad enough that she even had a history with him; she wasn't so keen on having everybody know about it, too.

"Good story," Shane said sarcastically as he chuckled, "He is a bit of a git though, isn't he?"

"Believe me, you have no idea," Raynea responded with wide eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Thank you to those that reviewed! Your comments are always very helpful! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm super nervous about all the new chapters lately...Anyway, please review if you feel the urge. Thanks so much!! :) **

Saturday had approached rather quickly and Raynea still wasn't fully prepared for her date with Shane. She did truly care about him, but not in the way that he wanted. It seemed like a lot of that had been going around lately.

Raynea spent the early part of the morning getting ready for Hogsmeade. She took a quick shower then pulled on a pair of jeans, a tight, black v-neck sweater and black boots. After she got dressed, Raynea ran a brush through her long, brown hair which she had chosen to wear straight that day. She quickly put on some make-up before putting on a long, grey coat and a black beret to shield from the cold.

Once her morning routine was finished, Raynea headed down to the front of the school to meet up with Shane and then head off to Hogsmeade. There was a large crowd of students assembled outside when she arrived, making it hard for her to find Shane. She scanned the flock of students carefully, but was still unable to find her friend. However, during her search, Raynea did notice Draco Malfoy mingling with a group of his friends towards the back of the crowd. She rolled her eyes as she saw him and grew even more infuriated when she caught him looking her up and down. She knew he did this partly just because he wanted to, and partly just to piss her off. He did his classic eyebrow raise and Raynea narrowed her eyes at him in reply. She turned her back to him and was glad to see Shane pushing past the hordes of students to greet her.

"Hey," he said with a bright smile, "Ready to go?"

"Definitely," Raynea replied kindly, though inside she was utterly frustrated. Once she saw Shane, she knew she would have to tell him the truth. Maybe not at that exact moment, but sometime on their trip to Hogsmeade, she would have to set him straight.

***

The students had been at Hogsmeade for a little over two hours now, and Raynea had still not worked up the courage to tell Shane how she really felt. It was a difficult situation for her, especially considering how much she valued their friendship. Losing Shane would be completely devastating, and she was afraid to risk it. Though Raynea knew that the longer she waited, the harder it would be.

After visiting a few of the shops in town, Raynea and Shane decided to take a stroll towards the Shrieking Shack. It was a beautiful, snowy day and it seemed the perfect time to take a long walk. Raynea recognized this as an opportune moment to explain things to Shane. She just hoped everything would work out okay.

"I've had a good time today," Shane said suddenly before Raynea had a chance to speak.

"Yeah, me too," she agreed with a soft smile.

"I'm glad we decided to do this," he added. Raynea merely nodded. She was beginning to lose her nerve, but she would force herself to say something, one way or another.

"We should do something like this again," Shane continued. Raynea felt her stomach jolt nervously. It was now or never.  
"Definitely…as friends," she uttered.

"Oh," Shane responded after a short pause.

"I should've told you earlier," Raynea began with an ashamed expression, "I just don't feel that way about you. I know I never should've agreed to the date, but I didn't know what to say."

"You could've said no," Shane said in annoyance.

"I know. I should have," Raynea agreed as she cast her eyes downwards, "I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are, Rayne," he stated with a nod.

"Please, don't be upset," Raynea pleaded, "This doesn't change anything. We're still friends."

"I guess," Shane said as he shrugged, "Raynea, I'm not mad at you because you're not into me. That's totally okay. I just wish you told me. How could you lead me on like that?"

"I didn't mean to lead you on," she told him desperately, "I'm so, so sorry."

"I know you are," he replied as he started to back away, "I have to go. Bye."

Shane turned around and began walking away at a fast pace, leaving Raynea to stand alone in front of the Shrieking Shack. She was feeling rather shaky from the confrontation and took a seat beneath a nearby tree. She couldn't believe that she had lost another friend, just like that. It felt like she was alienating herself from everyone lately. She never would've thought that she'd distance herself from Shane, too. They were so close, it just seemed odd. Raynea sighed heavily and swallowed a lump in her throat before getting back on her feet. As she began to head back towards the town, she heard footsteps behind her. Judging from the run of bad luck she was having, Raynea was certain she knew who it was.

"Not now, Malfoy," she said wearily as she held back tears.

"You handled that rather badly," Draco stated with dark amusement, ignoring her request.

"Thanks for the update," Raynea replied sarcastically, hoping he wouldn't be able to detect the tears in her eyes, "Now go away."

"Oh come on, McCoy…" Malfoy said with a cocky smile.

"Well, at least you listened to me about one thing," Raynea mused bitingly, glad that he finally decided to stop calling her Raynea.

"Yeah, now why don't you return the favor," he suggested coolly.

"Don't start this again," she warned as she shook her head.

"How about you stop being a stubborn bitch?" he said with an eyebrow raise.

"Calling me a bitch is a good way to win me over," Raynea snapped caustically, rolling her eyes and turning her back to him.

Malfoy looked up at the sky in irritation and sighed heavily. Even he seemed to be getting frustrated by this conversation.

"Just…leave," Raynea said in a hoarse voice. She was about to burst into tears and she didn't want him to see. It was bad enough he had seen her in a moment of weakness once, she couldn't stand if it happened again.

The aggravation in Draco's expression began to melt away as a smirk graced his face.

"You're not gonna cry again, are you?" he questioned amusedly.

"Shut up," she ordered, still refusing to face him.

"You're pathetic," Draco told her mockingly.

"If I'm so pathetic, then why do you even like me?" Raynea demanded as she spun around to face him.

"If I'm such an 'unfeeling bastard,' then why do you like me?" he shot back, retaining his patented smirk.

"I don't like you, Malfoy," Raynea exclaimed, "I don't know how many different ways I have to tell you that I have no interest in you. I hate you. You disgust me. I look at you and I feel sick. Do you get it now?"

"Yeah, absolutely," he responded with a sinful grin, "You want me."

"I'm not talking about this anymore," she told him as she prepared to leave, "I have no interest in you, Malfoy. End of story"

After that last declaration, Raynea took off towards the town, unable to deal with any further contact with Draco.

"…like hell," he said contradictorily in response to her closing statement as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets bitterly.

***

The following day, Raynea decided to spend the majority of her time working on her half of the Transfiguration project. Burying herself in work seemed like the best method to avoid what she was feeling. In fact, she had been so unwilling to face her emotions that she was in a bit of a blind frenzy. She had bumped into at least five people on her way down to the library, apologizing to each one as it happened.

Once she reached her destination, Raynea rushed past several aisles of books in search of a table. During her fast paced crusade, she collided with another person, this time so hard that it caused them both to topple to the ground. Raynea looked up to see who was the latest victim of her clumsiness was. She felt her stomach jolt nervously as he stared back at her.

Harry was looking at her, seeming rather embarrassed for their collision even though Raynea was truly at fault. He gulped loudly and smiled.

"Hi."

"Hi," Raynea responded slowly, gazing at him with her jaw slightly dropped.

They merely looked at each other awkwardly, remaining on the ground with their materials sprawled out across the floor. Raynea cleared her throat after awhile and began collecting her belongings. There was no point in prolonging this uncomfortable encounter.

"I'm really sorry about this," she apologized with sincerity.

"No, don't worry about it," he said as he started to gather his own items.

For a few moments, the two just continued to pick up the mess in silence, but eventually Raynea found it to be odd. Not talking to Harry when she was perfectly capable of doing so seemed ridiculous.

"So, how've you been?" she asked quietly.

"Alright," Harry replied as he nodded, "You?"

"Okay," Raynea said with a small grin, "And…how's Ginny?"

"She's fine," he stated politely. Through this kind and quiet façade, Raynea could see Harry's true discomfort. Perhaps there was no way to get back to where they were before.

Harry stood up abruptly and Raynea followed suit. They offered each other soft smiles and just stared at each other for a moment.

"Well, I should go," Harry said after awhile.

"Right," Raynea stated with a nod, "Bye, Harry."

"Bye."

He was gone fairly quickly after that. Raynea didn't blame him for trying to escape, the awkwardness was rather blatant. She shook her head as if it would somehow clear her mind and headed off to a vacant table in the middle of the library. Raynea organized the table to her liking before heading off to seek out a few of the books she would need to complete the project. This took little time and she had soon returned to her designated area to begin working.

Raynea started flipping through a rather large book when a gust of wind rushed past her and she saw someone had taken a seat in front of her. She looked up to see Draco sitting across from her and she sighed in disgust.

"What do you want?" Raynea asked as she violently turned the page of the book before her.

"I thought we could talk project," he answered, so obviously withholding his true intentions.

"What happened to our original plan?"

"Seems to have slipped my mind," he told her casually, yet somehow he was able to sound arrogant.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Raynea said acidly as she began to dig through her school bag.

"What're you doing?"

"Well, if you're going to be hanging around, you might as well make yourself useful," Raynea explained as she tossed a book at him, "Start researching."

"Ooh, bossy…" he said with a smirk.

"Just start reading," Raynea stated with narrowed eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Thank you to those that reviewed! Hope you enjoy this chapter! The HBP movie seriously gave me a lot to work with, so I'm hoping to continue whipping out chapters pretty fast. Anyway, please leave a review. Feedback is so appreciated. Thanks!! :)**

Draco had been staring at the same page of his book for about ten minutes. He had no interest in trying to complete his Transfiguration assignment; he had an interest in trying to complete his Transfiguration project _with Raynea_. He allowed his eyes to scan the room before he decided to set them on the girl sitting across from him. Raynea noticed that he was staring at her, and she sighed in annoyance.

"I can't work if you're going to keep staring at me," she said angrily.

"Then stop working," Draco suggested with a dark smile. Raynea merely rolled her eyes before returning them to her book. Though, he kept his eyes on her, studying her as she worked. He did this mostly because it irritated her, but also because he found her to be nice to look at. The way she bit her lip as she read, the way her long, brown curls hung in front of her chest, her brown eyes with just a slight tint of red in them—he was fascinated. It wasn't just about being attracted to her physically, there was something about her that just interested him and he still was not sure why.

"Will you stop staring at me, please," Raynea snapped without looking up from her book.

"No," he replied with a smirk, hoping to add to her frustration. He liked to see her get mad.

"Then just leave if you're not gonna help."

"I'm helping plenty," he said as he held up his book for proof, "I'm looking at this book."

"No, you're looking at me…stop it," she stated in exasperation.

He shrugged and broke his gaze for a moment. He pondered something for a second before addressing her again.

"What happened with you and Potter?" he questioned suddenly.

"What the—what does this have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question."

"Who said anything happened between me and Harry?"

"I saw you too earlier," Draco told her, "I'm not an idiot."

"You could've fooled me," Raynea responded with a satisfied smile. Draco smirked at this. It was so rare to see her smile when she was around him.

"Stop trying the dodge the subject," he commanded.

"Which would be…?"

"You and Potter. You two were pretty hot and heavy last year and now you barely speak," Draco explained, seeming amused by the whole predicament, "Not to mention that he's banging Weasley's sister."

"You're disgusting," Raynea answered with a nauseated expression.

"And correct," He added arrogantly, "Come on, McCoy, level with me."

"If you must know, Harry and I aren't really friends right now," Raynea told him as she folded her lips.

"I kinda gathered that, the question is, why?"

"It's not important," Raynea said in an effort to dodge the subject.

"That's true; I don't really give a damn about Potter."

"Then why even ask?" Draco stared at her pointedly and smirked.

"Right," Raynea stated after a moment of realization, "Anyway, we should probably get back to work."

"Why aren't you two friends anymore?" he pressed further, mostly to irritate her, but also because he was curious.

"We have to do this assignment," Raynea replied heatedly, ignoring his previous question.

"Fine, I'll make you a deal, McCoy," Draco began slyly, "You answer my question and I'll shut up and start doing this bloody assignment."

"You? Shut up? I find that hard to believe," she said with raised eyebrows.

"Take it or leave it," he stated.

Raynea pondered his proposition for a moment before rolling her eyes. She gave him an annoyed look and sighed.

"Harry and I aren't talking because of Ginny," she admitted.

"Are you really gonna let that bint keep you down?"

"It's more complicated than that," she told him.

"How so?" Draco asked.

"I waited and he didn't come through." She wasn't interested in telling Draco Malfoy every detail of her personal life—or any for that matter, so she summarized the account as much as she could.

"He's a git," Draco said, after a moment of taking in the information. She could see in his eyes that he understood exactly what she meant, even though she told the story in its simplest form.

"You think he's a git anyway," Raynea pointed out.

"True, but he's a git for that too. Even _I _wouldn't do that."

"Well it's good to know someone agrees with me, even if it is you," she said, sounding only slightly annoyed. There was a minute where the two merely looked at each other, their faces expressionless. The silence was short lived, for Raynea furrowed her brow and shared a thought aloud.

"Is it just me, or are we actually having a civilized conversation?" she asked with a puzzled tone. Draco smirked.

"Just give it time…" he trailed off cockily.

"Okay, civilized conversation over," Raynea said with an annoyed sigh, "We should get back to work."

"As you wish," he replied, his mouth still twisted into a conceited smile as he began to flip through a book.

***

After spending most of the day in the library with Raynea, Draco returned to the Slytherin common room to rest a bit before dinner. Despite the fact that they had spent most of the time either working or bickering, Draco had what he would consider a good day. He had never spent that much time alone with Raynea before and he enjoyed it, though not in the traditional sense. It was fun for him to see her get angry. In fact, he loved it. He loved the way that she hated him—or seemed to hate him. Draco was still certain that Raynea returned his feelings despite her constant pleas for him to stay away.

In his heart, Draco knew that whatever it was that he was feeling was wrong. The whole thing with Raynea was wrong, but he wanted it so much. He wanted to see what it would be like; he wanted her to realize that she desired him just as much as he desired her. Though he had become more accepting of his twisted attraction, he still hated it. He despised the fact that he wanted a Gryffindor—a Gryffindor whom Harry Potter also wanted. He wasn't stupid; Draco knew that Harry still cared for Raynea, even if he was with Ginny. However, Draco found the fact that Harry also had feelings for Raynea to be as interesting as it was repulsive. All he knew was that he wasn't going to let Harry Potter get what he wanted. Draco Malfoy always got what he wanted, always.

Draco was sitting on the slick, leather couches of the Slytherin common room as he pondered all this. He always felt strange when he thought about Raynea in the common room; like someone could somehow read his thoughts and would know what he was thinking. Even though Raynea knew about his feelings, he didn't want many others to know, especially if they were from his own house. Draco was already annoyed enough that Ron knew about it, if any more found out, he'd be furious.

Before he had a chance to think any further, Pansy was upon him, her bent legs resting on either side of his waist. He rolled his eyes unnoticeably and sighed.

"Where were you today, Draco?" Pansy asked in her cold, smooth voice.

"Out," Draco responded coolly. Pansy seemed to deem this a sufficient answer, for she let the matter drop. She began to kiss the side of his face and worked her way down to his jaw line. Draco merely sat there, not giving any of her actions a response. He was preoccupied thinking about Raynea, which he realized was probably a sick thing to considering another girl was straddling him, but he didn't really care. Pansy just didn't do it for him. When they were "together," it wasn't Pansy he thought about. Pansy seemed to find his lack of response troubling and pulled away from him for a moment.

"What's the matter with you?" she questioned, concerned with why he wasn't responding to her more than anything else.

"Nothing," Draco replied with a shrug.

"You seem distracted," Pansy pointed out.

"I'm fine," he assured her without much feeling in his voice. She accepted his answer and responded by starting to kiss his neck. He kept his gaze straight ahead of him, trying to make this encounter more appealing by thinking about someone else. Raynea entered his thoughts again and he decided not to try to fight it. If he was going to have a girl try to pleasure him, he might as well think of someone he desired to better the experience.

***

When Raynea returned from the library that day, she found that her time was well spent. Raynea and Malfoy—though mostly Raynea—worked on the project for several hours and had completed it that very same day. She was pleased by this for two reasons: one, the project was over and done with and two, she could cease any further contact with Draco Malfoy. Raynea felt like a huge burden had been lifted. Now, she could go back to ignoring him just as she had before. She still was not entirely used to the fact that Malfoy had feelings for her, but she wouldn't let it get her down anymore. She would go back to walking through the halls of Hogwarts with confidence and certainty. She refused to hide from Malfoy. Now, she would just avoid or ignore him. It seemed like the most logical plan.

Though she still loathed him, Raynea found that spending a day with Malfoy wasn't as bad as she would've expected it to be. He wasn't a complete ass the entire time, just most of it. She was surprised by this, but decided not to question her good fortune. Besides, she was more taken aback by the way he reacted to her explanation of her history with Harry. Although she gave him a brief anecdote, Malfoy seemed to understand exactly what she meant and more importantly, he was completely on her side. Whether he had feelings for her or not, Raynea knew that Malfoy would oppose her as often as he could. He got off on the tension between them, she knew that much and found it odd that he would side with her. She truly appreciated his words and the "support" that he gave her. He wasn't really defending her or anything, but any effort put forth by Malfoy was worth giving some sort of title.

Raynea decided to end any further thoughts on Malfoy as she traveled up the staircase leading to the Gryffindor dormitories. She wanted to find Ron and hang out a bit before dinner. She hadn't really seen much of him over the weekend and wanted to catch up. Raynea entered the boys' dormitories and upon doing so, immediately wished she hadn't. The sight before her made her sick to her stomach and she felt like all the air was being sucked from her lungs.

Harry and Ginny were lying across his four poster, legs entwined and with a few garments of clothing sprawled out on the floor beside the bed. They had been kissing, but instantly pulled apart when Raynea entered the room. She merely stood there for a moment, unable to form a coherent sentence. She swallowed a lump in her throat and backed towards the door slowly.

"Sorry…uh…I was—bye." Raynea darted out of the room, sped down the stairs, through the common room then out the portrait hole. She was devastated by what she had just seen. When Malfoy had made a joke about Harry and Ginny hooking up, Raynea didn't actually think it was true. She figured he was just trying to be a bastard and was embellishing for dramatic affect. Raynea felt like she could pass out. Her walk was shaky and it felt as though her legs couldn't support her body. She was wandering aimlessly with no real destination in mind. It was too early to go to dinner and she had spent her entire day in the library, so that was out. Trekking all the way out to the lake was also not an option, for Raynea didn't even think she could make it downstairs. She opted for sitting on a bench in one of the upstairs hallways. Sitting felt good, though the nausea and shakiness she was experiencing still plagued her.

"_I'm such an idiot,_" Raynea thought bitterly, "_Why wouldn't they do that? They're teenagers and that's what teenagers do. Bloody hell._" At this point, she just felt fortunate that she had not interrupted them any later; the two were still clothed for the most part.

Raynea felt as though everything was crashing down upon her. She had truly lost all of her best friends, save for Ron. Hermione still had refused to speak with her, Shane was obviously not interested in seeing her, especially after what had happened at Hogsmeade, and Harry had made it perfectly clear that he had moved on. So, in addition to a best friend, she also lost a potential boyfriend—one whom she could see a future with. She tried to convince herself that she wasn't completely alone. She had Ron and his family, excluding Ginny of course, and she had plenty of schoolmates, but nothing compared to being with true friends. Despite having this, Raynea was feeling extremely alone.

However, this emotion was on the back burner as she thought about the spectacle that was Harry and Ginny. Seeing them like that made her feel like she couldn't breathe or stand, for that matter. It hurt, it truly did. What made it even worse was the fact that she had just seen him and talked to him only a few hours earlier. It made her sick to think of that. Everything had seemed almost normal, and then all of a sudden things were completely different.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews!! This update is a little on the short side, but it's a timing thing. I really hope you like it! This part is pretty important, I think. Actual plot points from HBP will come into the story soon, but I'm just reminding everyone that it's AU, so the sequence of events are completely out of order in comparison to the book. Anyway, I just wanted to give you a little preview for what's coming up. Please review if you would like. Thanks so much!!! :)**

Draco had come late for dinner that evening. His usual seat was taken when he arrived, and he immediately bullied the first year occupying it until they agreed to move. He sat down and piled some food onto his plate before scanning the Great Hall. His eyes fell on the Gryffindor table and traveled down to Raynea. He was surprised by the state she was in. She was sitting with Ron, Lavender and the rest of her Gryffindor companions like usual, but her face was like stone; hard and still. She wasn't wearing any sort of expression whatsoever and Draco thought this was odd.

"_What's that bint gotten herself into this time?_" he thought with an eye roll. However, he couldn't deny that a small part of him was concerned—not with her well being, he just wanted to know why she was upset.

When Harry and Ginny entered the Great Hall a few minutes later, Draco had an idea of what might have caused the trouble. As the couple sat down, Raynea's face fell, but only slightly. Following this, she said something to her group before standing up and heading out of the Great Hall in a hurry. Draco furrowed his brow then attempted to ignore his curiosity and started picking at his food. He merely scratched his fork against his plate as he continued to wonder about Raynea.

"Bloody hell," he muttered with an eye roll as he stood up, made some excuse to leave the table and headed out of the Great Hall.

Raynea had only gotten about a minute head start, so she couldn't have wandered off too far. Draco headed left down the hallway and turned a corner—there was no sign of Raynea. He sighed heavily and scowled.

"That stupid bitch." He headed off down one more hallway and was satisfied when he saw Raynea. She was sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest, wearing the same stone-like expression. Draco was glad the hallway was completely vacant and, luckily, there wouldn't be any intruders. Dinner had just begun, and people didn't tend to leave in the middle of it like they had. He approached stubbornly and looked down at the thin figure crouched below him on the floor.

"Get up off the ground, you bint," Draco ordered rudely.

"No," Raynea responded plainly.

"What the—McCoy get off the damn floor," he repeated, "You look ridiculous."

"I don't care," she told him.

"Fine, look like a bloody idiot. Like I care," Draco scoffed.

"Fine," Raynea said unemotionally. Draco seemed like he was going to walk away for a moment, then he turned back around and looked down at her once again.

"What's wrong?" he demanded with an irritated tone. There was a short pause before Raynea answered him.

"Go away, Malfoy," she replied quietly, "I don't wanna see you."

"Too bad," Draco said insensitively.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" she exclaimed, her volume increasing quite a bit since her last comment.

"I'd love to, but you're the one who's distracting me by making a bloody scene during dinner then camping out on the floor like a lunatic," he shot back roughly.

"I did not make a scene," Raynea shouted, "I just left. You're the one who followed me."

"Well I wouldn't have followed you if you hadn't been so obvious about leaving."

"You're the one who was watching!"

"Yeah…well…you're the one who won't give me a moment's peace!"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm tired of thinking about you all the time."

"I am not going to get into this with you right now," Raynea told him angrily, "Just go."

They both stopped for a moment to catch their breaths after all the shouting. Draco certainly was not going to leave; he wanted to know what was going on and he wasn't going to actually abide by Raynea's wishes. He did what he wanted.

"Just…get off the bloody floor," he said at long last, bending over and grabbing her by the wrist. Raynea yanked her arm away from him and hopped up from her seat on the ground before taking a few steps back.

"Don't touch me," she yelled furiously as she leaned back into the wall behind her and sunk to the floor. Draco looked down at her, wondering why in the hell she was acting like this. He figured bringing up their relationship, or lack thereof, and screaming at her wasn't the way to find out.

"Dammit," he cursed with a sigh as he took a seat on the floor beside her.

"What're you doing?" Raynea asked in a hushed yet annoyed voice.

"Shut up," Draco said as he stared off into the distance ahead of him. There was a short silence before he continued. "You don't have to tell me what's wrong…but if you don't it's gonna take a helluva long time to get me to leave you alone."

There was another minute of quiet, then Raynea spoke.

"Harry…" she trailed off for a second.

"Don't tell me you're freaking out over Potter," Draco stated, sounding only a little more cruel than intended. Raynea ignored his rudeness and continued on.

"I saw him and Ginny…" she stopped again. Her voice sounded weak and hoarse, "They were…" Raynea looked down at her hands, tears about to fall down her face.

"I get it," Draco chimed in suddenly, his voice hard.

"It just…it hurts so badly to see them…" Raynea's face screwed up and tears freely fell down her cheeks.

Draco simply sat there for a moment, his head still facing forward. He sighed heavily before turning to face Raynea. Only about a minute or two had passed.

"Don't you dare cry over that jackass," he ordered harshly with a bit of a serious look on his face. Raynea's eyes traveled over to Draco's face as more tears fell.

"Listen to me," he continued with even more gruffness, "Stop. It's pathetic and yes, you are pathetic, but if you're going to cry, make it over something worth it."

Raynea nodded as she wiped the moisture from her face and inhaled deeply.

"Don't stay down there too long, people might actually see you," he said offensively with a scoff as he got to his feet and took his leave.

***

As Draco walked to Transfiguration the following day, he was feeling rather tired. It had been a long weekend, and Pansy was even more restless than usual. He shoved a few second year students out of his way as he approached the hallway that contained Professor McGonagall's classroom and sighed as he was about to cross the threshold. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Malfoy, can I talk to you for a second?"

It was Raynea; he recognized her voice instantly. Draco turned to face her and raised his eyebrows expectantly. Raynea led him towards an area on the wall slightly away from the crowd of students bustling about and looked up at him with a serious expression on her face.

"I just wanted to thank you for yesterday," she said in an even tone.

"Please," he jeered with a sour expression, "I just wanted you to shut the hell up and stop moping around."

"I know why you did it," Raynea replied with a knowing look.

Draco stared at her, a bit startled by their conversation. She gave him a quick nod before heading off into the Transfiguration classroom, leaving him stunned behind her.

***

Raynea had, had an average day for the most part. She got up, had breakfast with Ron, went to class and headed off to the library to do homework. Everything was pretty ordinary—minus her conversation with Draco Malfoy, that is. After their encounter the previous day, Raynea truly did try to take his words into account. He was right, she was acting pathetic. She completely agreed with him. He hadn't informed her of this using the best of methods, but Raynea appreciated what he did.

She was still aware that Malfoy was a soulless bastard, that hadn't changed. However, Raynea was beginning to realize that he did have feelings for her—real feelings. At first, she just accepted the fact that he _thought _he was interested in her, but now things were different. After seeing the way he acted with her, she had come to understand that his attraction was genuine. Not to say that he had in any way showed her kindness, but the fact that he even sought her out was proof enough. Despite the fact that he had helped her, Raynea still hated Malfoy. Her revulsion wasn't quite as strong, but she was sure that he would change that. Malfoy had a knack for pissing her off and she was certain that after a few days, her hatred would return to its original level.

In the meantime, Raynea was just focusing on lasting until Christmas break. Between all the drama with Harry, her parting of the ways with Shane and Malfoy's existence, she had her doubts about whether or not she would make it through. She was especially having trouble with the Harry issue. She had chosen to heed Malfoy's "advice" and suck it up, but she still wasn't completely over it.

In spite of the awkwardness Raynea felt anytime she and Harry were near each other, she had decided not to try to talk it out with him. The last time she tried to fix a problem, Malfoy ended up vocalizing his lust to her in an even more horrifying manner. She refused to go down this road again. No, talking would only make things worse.

For Draco, things seemed to be looking up. After his conversation with Raynea that day, he was even more convinced that she had feelings for him. He wasn't certain if she had realized it yet, but this didn't matter much to him. He felt that the phrase "give it time" really applied to this situation.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews!! This is another short chapter, but it's very important! Please, please review!! I really hope you enjoy it. Thanks!!! :) **

Another week had passed, and things had remained quiet. Raynea still had not had contact with Harry or any run-ins with Malfoy. She supposed this was a good thing, but she couldn't deny that regardless of the placidity of the past week, she was feeling rather empty. Nothing seemed normal anymore, and this troubled her. She wanted desperately for things to go back to the way they were. However, matters would only become worse.

One day, exactly two weeks before Christmas break, Raynea headed towards the library after a full day of classes. She had agreed to meet up with Ron and go over some of the work he had yet to complete. Lavender surely did keep him busy. As Raynea came closer to her destination, she noticed that Harry was heading in the direction opposite her. Their eyes locked for a moment before Raynea looked away uncomfortably. She wasn't prepared to see him like this. In this type of scenario, it would be strange not to say anything to one another. However, she decided to pretend like she hadn't seen him. It seemed like the best option considering how much time had passed since their last encounter. Raynea was absolutely stunned when Harry made a beeline for her.

"Hey Rayne," he said as he inhaled deeply. He appeared to be nervous, but approached her as if everything was normal. She wasn't sure how to react to this.

"Uh…hi," Raynea responded, immediately taking on a defensive tone.

"I was thinking…er—maybe we should talk for a second," he told her, biting his lip uncomfortably.

"What about?" Raynea asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.

Harry looked around awkwardly for a moment before returning his gaze to her face. He gave her a knowing look.

"I kinda have to get going," she stated before Harry gave a vocal reply. Raynea was unwilling to have this conversation. It was too much to handle.

"It'll just take a second," Harry answered, his tone changing from embarrassed to annoyed.

"Fine," Raynea agreed with an impatient air about her.

"Could we go somewhere more private?" Harry questioned as his eyes trailed over to the crowds of student passing by them.

"No, we can talk about this right here," she replied stubbornly.

"Raynea—" He sounded pretty frustrated at this point. Obviously this was a conversation he wished to have in a more secluded area.

"No, Harry," Raynea began angrily, "You were the one who wanted to talk. So, go ahead, talk."

"I'm just trying to fix things," he said in annoyance.

"No one's stopping you. Say what you wanna say."

"Look," Harry stated as he attempted to even out his voice. He wasn't very successful, "I know you're angry—"

"Angry?" Raynea repeated with narrowed eyes, "Angry doesn't begin to cover it."

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that you…walked in on that," Harry said, casting his eyes downwards shamefully.

"So, that's what you wanted to apologize for?" Raynea demanded loudly.

Many of the bystanders passing by slowed down as the argument grew more heated and a few even stopped to watch.

"Well…yeah," he answered.

"Harry…bloody hell…that's only part of it. Do you really think that's the only reason I'm annoyed, here?"

"I dunno," Harry said, the volume in his voice increasing, "I'm just trying to apologize to you, why won't you listen?"

"I don't wanna listen anymore," Raynea exclaimed furiously, "I'm done listening. I have been trying so hard to accept this, but I'm done. You shouldn't have made promises you couldn't bloody keep. I did exactly what you asked and it wasn't good enough. What the hell do you want from me?"

"I asked you to be my friend _for now_ and you said no," Harry pointed out heatedly, "That's what I want."

"Do you seriously think I'd wait around for you while you're with Ginny?""I dunno," he responded quietly, evading her eyes, "I dunno what I think anymore."

Raynea took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes briefly. She hoped this would calm her down. It made her lower a voice a bit, but it wasn't successful in putting her emotions in check.

"Well when you figure it out, don't come find me…cause I'm done," she told him irately, ending their feud here. She walked away to the sound of the spectators chattering noisily. Apparently their fight was of great amusement to the random passerby.

Raynea continued down the hallway, ignoring the looks of the students she passed. She was past caring about what people thought. As she was turning to exit the corridor, Raynea heard footsteps and cold laughter behind her. She sighed heavily and kept her gaze ahead of her as Draco Malfoy's voice chimed in.

"That was a helluva show," he said with dark amusement.

"Don't go there, Malfoy," Raynea warned, shaking her head lividly.

"How can I not?" Draco asked with a cruel chuckle, "Everyone saw it and it was just…perfect."

"Glad you found it so amusing," Raynea responded sarcastically as she turned a corner sharply.

"The only thing better than watching Potter get burned, is watching Potter get burned by you," he added on.

"Drop out now, Malfoy. I swear," she said, trying her best to keep her voice even. She was three seconds away from screaming.

"Oh, come on, Raynea," he laughed callously. Raynea spun around to face him and glared.

"Stop calling me that," she ordered in annoyance, "Stop coming near me, just stop!"

"You didn't seem to mind the other day, now did you?" he reminded her as his voice grew harsher.

"Look, I know what you did—"

"What? Beckon me off to help you one day, then try to get rid of me the next?" he interrupted.

"I did not beckon you—Malfoy, this isn't important. Just…go," Raynea exclaimed, facing forward once again and beginning to walk with a brisk pace.

"Why are you so being so damn stubborn about this?"

"Why are you still near me?"

"Oh please," Draco scoffed, "You bloody love it."

"No, I don't," Raynea told him roughly, "I hate it. I hate you."

"Bull," he shot back with a cocky smirk.

"Dammit…just stop," Raynea begged her voice sounding both irate and desperate.

"You don't want me to stop," he continued arrogantly, "You can't deny it anymore…there's something here and it's real."

"For you," Raynea said as she turned around to face him once again.

"For both of us," Draco corrected her, his tone sounding agitated as well as smug.

"No," Raynea replied as she shook her head vigorously, "No."

"Wanna bet?" Malfoy asked fiercely as he grabbed her by the shoulders and started to pull her face towards his.

"Malfoy, stop it!" she shouted frantically, releasing herself from his grasp and slapping him across the face with force.

He stared at her with narrowed eyes before she glared at him one final time. After that, she had taken off down the hallway.

***

Raynea returned to the Gryffindor tower and immediately headed up to her dormitory. She refused to deal with anything else that day. Once she reached her destination, she tossed her school bag onto the ground and got into bed. Her thoughts were running through her head rapidly and her body still had not recovered from all the emotions she was experiencing. Her heart was racing and she was shaking intensely as she laid her head against her pillow and attempted to sort through what she was feeling.

On the one hand, she felt relieved. Though she and Harry weren't the best of friends lately, she still felt like she owed him something. She still felt a connection with him. Now, things had changed. Raynea was done, completely. She still had feelings for Harry, unfortunately, but she was done trying to hold on to the past or hope for some kind of future. She recognized how awfully he was treating her, and she was done putting up with it. She was done for good. Though she felt unburdened by this revelation, she was still upset. Losing him wasn't easy and she definitely felt the sting of that.

As far as Malfoy went, Raynea was beyond annoyed. She was livid. She couldn't believe all the things he said…well, she could, but it still pissed her off. In her mind, he was nothing but a privileged bastard in dire need of a reality check. However, the anger she felt was accompanied by another emotion—fear. She was scared of the way he had just grabbed her like that and she was afraid even more for another reason…

When Malfoy had tried to kiss her, she felt a spark. Yes, she found the incident terrifying, but something else was there.

"_No,_" Raynea thought, squeezing her eyes shut and bridging the top of her nose, "_No._"

Her hatred was still there, she knew it. All the loathing and revulsion still existed, but something else was there along with it.

"_No_, _no, no, no, no, no, no_!"

This didn't seem possible to her. How could she hate him and still have felt a spark? It didn't make any sense. When he had pulled her towards him, she was scared and angry. She didn't want him to do it. She didn't want him to kiss her. Though on some level, a small fraction of her wanted it. It was a near microscopic percentage, but it was still there.

The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous in her eyes. She didn't want to be with Malfoy, she didn't even want to be on the same planet as him. He disgusted her; he made her ill. Why the hell was there a spark?


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Thank you so, so, so much for all the reviews!! They're really helpful. Anyway, this is chapter is a tad short, but I'll be posting another one later tonight. This update has an extremely brief explanation of Raynea's family history. Honestly, her family isn't really important to the story other than what's mentioned in this chapter. They'll come up more towards the end, but it's really not that crucial which is why I don't go into too much detail. Also, a reminder that I'm bringing in stuff from HBP and its a bit different from what's in the actual book. Just making that clear. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy! There will be another new chapter tonight. Thanks so much!! :)**

It was a week before Christmas break, and news had just gotten out about a holiday party that Professor Slughorn was having that Friday evening. At first, it just appeared to be a party for those in Slughorn's inner circle—the students in whom he'd seen some sort of potential. However, it turned out that most everyone was welcome to attend. This seemed odd considering Slughorn's track record, but the students were pleased anyhow. People were talking about it rather excitedly and many were focused on finding a date.

"Lavender wants for us to double with Paravati and her boyfriend…whoever the hell that is. It's going to be bloody awful," Ron whined as he and Raynea lounged on his four poster.

"Really? Sounds like it'll be a perfect evening, to me," she teased with an amused grin.

"This isn't funny, Rayne," Ron replied with a hint of terror in his voice, "I'm gonna have to mingle with these people."

"Well, Lavender _is_ your girlfriend," Raynea pointed out.

"Don't remind me," Ron said with a shudder, "This is going to blow."

"Make sure to give me specific details about the party since I won't be there," Raynea told him.

"You're not going?" he asked as his eyes widened.

"Hell no," she stated.

"You have to go," Ron insisted.

"Why? So I can watch Harry and Ginny hang all over each other and choke down a bunch of lame holiday food? No thanks."

"Please! I need you," Ron said desperately, "Come with me and Lavender…that way I won't have to kill myself."

"Ron…no way," Raynea responded with a sickened expression. Even imagining attending this party was making her feel ill.

"Please, Rayne? I'm your best friend, you can't just leave me there. Besides, you'll complete the group," Ron pouted.

"By making it uneven?" Raynea reasoned with an eyebrow raise.

"Just do it…please," Ron begged as he offered her a big grin. She inhaled sharply and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," Raynea gave in, "But you owe me."

"Thank you so much," Ron said with a sigh of relief, "You're brilliant…have I ever told you that?"

"On several occasions," she answered with a smile.

"Oh, and mum wanted to confirm that you're coming to stay with us over break. You are, right?"

Raynea opened her mouth in surprise and looked around the room anxiously. She wasn't ready to answer that question. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to do about break. It had become quite a problem recently, especially after her major blow out with Harry. She always loved going to the Burrow for holidays, but she didn't know how to handle it this year. Besides, it's not like she had any other options.

Raynea's only living relatives were her two older siblings, Tristan and Aurora. Tristan was the eldest and he was also only her half-brother, but Aurora, the middle child, was her full sister. Raynea didn't know too much about her family history. The whole thing was rather confusing and no one ever really bothered to explain it to her. What she did know was that she and Tristan shared the same father—and that was about all they had in common.

Tristan was a pureblood unlike Raynea and her sister, who were only half-bloods. He never let them forget that. It was always a sore subject between the siblings. He hated Raynea and Aurora because of their blood and even more because he had to share his father with them. His prejudice made him an especially cruel boy and it wasn't surprising when he became a Death Eater. He was quite young when he joined the cause, in fact, he was just out of school. Raynea never really saw him after that; to her, he was dead.

Raynea barely talked about her immediate family, save for Aurora. The only one who knew about her brother was Harry. He was the only one Raynea had ever admitted it to. Actually, he had found out on his own, for Tristan was in the graveyard the night Voldemort had returned, but Raynea didn't deny it when Harry asked about it.

Aurora, on the other hand, was no where close to being a Death Eater. She was exceedingly kind and had been Raynea's guardian since her start at Hogwarts. The sisters got along very well, but were not especially close. Raynea had considered going home for Christmas, but that was before she received a letter from Aurora a few weeks earlier. Apparently, she would be spending her Christmas traipsing around France with her friends, meaning Raynea would have to make other arrangements.

"Rayne?" Ron said in an effort to get Raynea's attention. She shook her head vigorously before clearing her throat and smiling.

"Yeah, of course. I'll be there," she told him.

"Great," Ron stated with a grin. There was a moment of silence before he began to groan in annoyance.

"This party is going to bloody kill me," he said, referring to their prior topic of conversation.

"Are you still on about that? I told you that I would go with you guys."  
"Yeah, but there's still Lavender…"

"I can't believe you're this afraid of your girlfriend," Raynea said with a smirk.

"You see her! She's barking mad," he exclaimed with widened eyes.

"Then break up with her."

"I can't! Imagine what she'd do to me…"

"True," Raynea agreed with a shrug, "Thin ice, Ron. Very thin ice."

"You're telling me," Ron said as he shook his head. He cleared his throat rather loudly and squirmed around uncomfortably before addressing a different topic, "Do you know if—have you heard whether or not—is Hermione going with anyone?"

"I dunno," Raynea told him, "We're still not really talking."

"I know…I just didn't know if you heard anything."

"I haven't," she stated, offering a soft smile, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Ron said, waving her off before casting his eyes downward. He looked up suddenly, seeming desperate to change the subject, "Maybe you'll get a date. That way the group won't be uneven."

"Please," Raynea replied as she rolled her eyes, "Who would really ask me?"

"I dunno, maybe the dirty git who's following you around all the time," Ron suggested caustically.

"Who?" Raynea asked, becoming tense all of a sudden. She was quite aware of who Ron was referring to.

"Malfoy," Ron said pointedly.

"He won't," Raynea began nervously, "He won't… I'd say no anyway."

"Well I know that," he answered with a laugh, "You're not completely mad."

"Yeah," she agreed with a chuckle, "Right."

Raynea hadn't really seen much of Malfoy since their last meeting, and frankly, she didn't want to. She was still utterly confused about what was going on in her head, despite her choice to ignore the spark she felt. Even though she had decided to disregard it, the situation still plagued her. Anytime she caught a glimpse of Malfoy in the hallway, she would duck into another corridor or hide behind the hordes of students traveling in the same direction she was. Avoiding him seemed to be the best plan. She hated him anyhow, so his recent absence in her life was refreshing. However, any mention of him caused her to grow antsy, so she always preferred to change the subject.

Raynea hated to admit it, but she did think about Malfoy often, though not in the way_ he_ would want. Mostly, she thought about how much she hated him and convinced herself that it was impossible for her to feel anything else towards him. Raynea agonized over this. She obsessed over that one moment. It sickened her that she could possibly feel anything for Malfoy besides loathing—even if it was for just a moment.

***

Draco was dreading the Christmas party just as much as Ron was. He wasn't really in the mood to celebrate the holiday this year considering all that was going on. Between the absence of his father and all the problems he was having with Raynea, Draco didn't see Christmas as being important. He hadn't really thought of his father very often, it bothered him too much. Thinking about it was just too painful. He figured he was pondering it so frequently lately because of the upcoming holiday.

As far as Raynea went, Draco was feeling simply frustrated. His attraction had strengthened even more since their last encounter. When he had grabbed her, he felt a spark; he could sense how much chemistry they had. He just wished Raynea would stop being so stubborn and admit it to herself. Not that he could even imagine what they would do if she ever did come around. He was with Pansy…sort of and he wasn't really interested in having a public relationship with Raynea, even if he did want her.

Everything seemed so complicated lately and Christmas just added to the burden. Draco supposed he could have a good time at the party, though he seriously doubted it. He was going with Pansy and a group of their friends; this didn't appear to be a perfect evening to him. Besides, he would probably have to be witness to Raynea hanging all over the poor bastard who had agreed to take her as a date. Even if he did have feelings for her, Draco was aware she was a piece of work. That was part of why she was so appealing.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews!!! Feedback is extremely crucial for this update, so please leave a review! I would appreciate it so, so much!! Oh, I should mention that I finally caught up to myself, so this is literally the last thing i've written. I'm gonna try my best to have another chapter tomorrow. Anyway, I really, really hope you enjoy this update!! Thanks so much!!!!! :)**

The night of the Christmas party had arrived and all the girls in the dormitory were scurrying around to get ready. Lavender and Paravati had spent at least two hours crowding in front of the bathroom mirror and Ginny kept running in and out to ask Hermione advice about how to do her hair and make-up. Raynea wasn't too concerned about preparation time. She didn't plan on putting too much effort into her appearance that evening. She decided to keep her hair down and to leave her loose curls alone. Since that was already taken care of, all she had to do was put on her dress and touch up her make-up and she would be done.

Raynea had gotten ready rather quickly, just as she assumed she would. She sighed heavily, hoping that she looked nice. Even if she wasn't going as crazy as the other girls, she still wanted to look attractive. Raynea stepped in front of the mirror and took a good look at herself. Her dress was strapless, white and ended just above the knee. It looked okay to her and it contrasted well with her long, dark hair and tan skin. Her make-up appeared to look all right also, so she was set and ready to go.

Just as Raynea was about to leave, she spotted Hermione, who seemed a bit tense that evening, looking at herself in a hand-held mirror. Raynea smiled as she watched her ex-friend. Hermione was wearing a little, red cocktail dress and had her hair pinned up. She looked very pretty and Raynea assumed that she was especially frantic about her looks because she had a date.

"You look great, Hermione," Raynea said complimentary.

"Thank you," Hermione replied curtly as she folded her lips.

"Do you have a date?"

"Yeah and he's waiting so I should go," she stated briefly before heading out of the room. Raynea inhaled sharply and headed downstairs herself. She was supposed to meet Ron and Lavender in the common room and didn't want to keep them waiting.

"You clean up nicely," Raynea told Ron with a smile as she approached him.

"Thanks," Ron responded with a grin. Lavender was on his arm, appearing to be very eager.

"We should go," she said, tugging Ron towards the portrait hole and smiling brightly.

"I guess we should," Ron muttered as he exchanged a look with Raynea.

"After you," Raynea stated with a smirk as she followed after Ron and his insatiable girlfriend, "You look nice by the way, Lavender."

"Thanks, Raynea. You look—" Lavender frowned as she looked back at Raynea. Apparently, she didn't look so nice. At least, not in Lavender's eyes "Uh, thanks."

Raynea rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrows ironically. It was going to be a long night.

***

They had only entered the Great Hall five minutes ago, and Raynea was already trying to formulate an excuse to leave. The Great hall looked especially lovely that night, but no one seemed to take this into account. All the students were too busy chattering loudly or showing off their dates to their friends. That was annoying on its own, but merely the beginning.

Raynea thought Lavender was annoying by herself, but when matched with her best friend, Paravati, a whole new level of irritation had been attained. Ron constantly gave Raynea a look as if to say "I'm sorry" while the two other girls gabbed loudly and hung onto their boyfriends' arms. Paravati's boyfriend, a quiet Hufflepuff named Roger, seemed to share the same feelings as Ron and Raynea. He merely looked around the room with a bored expression as Paravati clung onto him. It appeared that he was just serving as arm candy that evening, same as Ron. Raynea sighed and attempted to create a break in the incessant chatting of the two girls in front of her.

"Paravati, I meant to tell you, your dress looks great," she complimented. Maybe that would serve as a way for Ron, Raynea and Roger to enter the conversation permanently.

"Thank you, Raynea," Paravati responded excitedly. Apparently, all those hours in front of the mirror had paid off. She looked at Raynea for a moment then grimaced, "And your dress is…uh…a bit big, actually. Did you get the wrong size?" Raynea smirked to keep herself from screaming and narrowed her eyes at Ron.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed with an uneasy expression on his face. Raynea shrugged before speaking again.

"Not that I know of," she answered through gritted teeth and a forced smile.

After that, Paravati and Lavender continued their fast paced dialogue, leaving the other three members of their group to stand around and pretend to listen. Raynea didn't know how much more of this she could take. They had only been there for ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Raynea excused herself and made a trip to the bathroom. All the criticism from Lavender and Paravati left her feeling self conscious

She looked in the mirror once again and gave herself an objective scan. Her hair looked the same as it always did; as did her make-up and people had told her she looked pretty before, so she didn't see the problem. Yes, the dress was a tad big, but Raynea was a little on the skinny side, so this was to be expected. She sighed heavily. So in addition to being stuck at this party, she felt unattractive. Great. She ran her fingers through her hair quickly before heading back out the festivities, hoping the conditions had improved.

When Raynea returned to the Great Hall to see that a lot more of the students had arrived during her absence. She spotted Harry and Ginny as she made her way through the crowd. They looked great together in their formal clothes and appeared as though they were having the time of their lives Raynea looked away quickly, not wanting to subject herself to anymore torture. She rejoined her group to find things were not much better since she was last there.

Ron and Roger had the same "please kill me" expression on their faces as their girlfriends continued their animated chit chat. Raynea purposefully stood in the spot beside Ron, hoping that she could find a way for them to escape for a moment to talk a bit. Ron's eyes trailed over to her discreetly and she returned the gesture.

"This is evening is going to be bloody endless," he mumbled without diverting the attention of the two noisy girls.

"Yep," Raynea muttered in agreement, "I'm not letting you talk me into this ever again." Ron merely nodded as an effort to keep the conversation private. Paravati and Lavender were bound to notice their quiet exchange sometime, so he ended it before it would come to that. Raynea crossed her arms resignedly and allowed her eyes to wander about the room. It seemed like every single person in the room was having a better time than she was. Not only that, but everyone appeared to have a date. The fact that she had shown up single was made more upsetting by the fact that nobody else seemed to be.

She sighed as she continued to gaze about the room. After a few minutes, her glance fell upon Draco Malfoy and this was unexpected. Raynea hadn't really thought of him much that particular evening and felt her stomach tighten as she laid her eyes upon him. He was hanging in the back with a crowd of Slytherins with Pansy Parkinson on his arm. Raynea swallowed a lump in her throat as an unknown emotion came over her. She didn't know what she was feeling, but it couldn't be jealousy…could it? Whatever it was, it wasn't fun. He looked nice that night, something that Raynea normally wouldn't have noticed. She desperately tried to look away from him, but she couldn't. It was odd and made her feel extremely ill at ease. Eventually, she pulled her eyes away and kept them fixed straight ahead of her as she exhaled.

Yes, her evening sucked just as much as she expected it would, and it was only the beginning.

***

After an hour of boredom, Ron and Raynea were finally able to escape for a moment and rant about their evening. They conducted their conversation at the front of the Great Hall, as far away from Paravati and Lavender as possible.

"Bloody hell, I never thought we'd get outta there!" Ron exclaimed with wide eyes.

"That makes both of us," Raynea agreed.

"I'm sorry about all this. I didn't think it'd be this bad," Ron apologized.

"It's okay," she answered, "The question is, how in the hell do we make this evening go by faster?"

"I dunno…" Ron said as he shoved his hands into his pockets, "I feel bad for leaving Roger back there. We're making the poor bloke go it alone."

"He'll survive," Raynea stated, waving it off, "It's every man for himself."

Ron raised his eyebrows in agreement before glancing over his shoulder to assess the situation.

"Should we go back?" he questioned, a touch of fear in his voice.

"No way," Raynea replied, "This might be our only break all evening."

"Good point," Ron said, "And by the way, you look good tonight. I don't know what those two were talking about."

"Thanks," she said quietly, "Though, honestly, their comments about my dress is the least of our problems. I don't think I can stand this all night, Ron."

Ron didn't answer, for he was too distracted by something going on behind her. His face fell suddenly as he gazed over her shoulder, causing Raynea to furrow her brow.

"Ron?" She spun around to see what he was staring at and felt her stomach turn as she did so.

Hermione and Shane were holding hands near one of the refreshment tables along one of the side walls of the Great Hall. She was staring at Shane affectionately as he whispered something to her. Hermione giggled and he smiled at her brightly. Raynea turned back around to face Ron with an empathetic expression.

"Ron…I'm so sor—"

"Its fine," he answered quickly as he looked down at his shoes, "I'm gonna go find Lavender." He was gone shortly after that, leaving Raynea to process what she'd just seen.

She found it extremely ironic that Hermione and Shane had gotten together. Raynea had managed to piss both of them off recently, and now they were an item. It was quite poetic. Two of the people she had cared about most, who previously had no contact with one another, were now a couple. It just seemed unreal. Raynea sighed heavily as she watched them converse with each other. She wasn't jealous, it wasn't that at all. She just found their courtship to be strange. Besides that, Raynea felt horribly for Ron. She knew exactly how he was feeling and hated that he had to be in such pain, especially at this time of year. Nothing seemed to be going right lately, for anyone.

Raynea decided to take advantage of the remainder of her time apart from the group and headed off towards one of the refreshment tables. She purposefully avoided the one Hermione and Shane were occupying and chose one towards the back of the Great Hall. She merely stood in front of the table, too deep in thought to remember what she intended to do. Suddenly, a voice coming from behind broke her from her thoughts.

"You look nice," Draco Malfoy told her in his cold, smooth voice. He stood in a spot against the table a few feet down from her and faced in the opposite direction.

Raynea began to feel extremely nauseous as he complimented her. It had startled her…and pleased her in a strange way. She wanted him to go away… and to stay at the same time. The conflict was maddening.

"_No_," Raynea thought firmly as she inhaled and turned to address him aloud.

"What're you doing?" she demanded, hoping Malfoy couldn't detect the nervousness in her voice.

"Bloody hell, McCoy," he began, his voice sounding darkly amused, "I can't even pay you a compliment without you acting completely mental."

"I don't need you to compliment me, Malfoy," Raynea shot back harshly as the knot in her stomach grew.

"Who else is gonna do it? It's not like you're on anyone's arm tonight," Malfoy answered mockingly, "By the way, why is that? No bloke'll have you?"

"Shut up," she snapped bitterly, turning her back on him. She was becoming increasingly anxious and she didn't want him to know this. He had enough ammo as it was.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he said cockily as he smirked.

"Could you just go away, please?" Raynea exclaimed in a shaky voice. Her nerves were really getting to her and she still refused to face him.

"What's going on with you?" he asked coolly.

"Nothing," she said fretfully, turning towards him once again, "I have to go." With that, she disappeared.

"_What's wrong with me_?" Raynea thought with dread as she pushed through the crowd, "_It was one moment and now he makes me a basket case. This is mad._"

Even worse, he knew something was up. He could sense her anxiety. What if he knew what was going on in her head? Raynea couldn't take it if that happened. It's not like he had been right along. She still loathed him but additional feelings kept coming up whenever she saw him.

"_No…just…no_."

***

Draco knew something was going on with Raynea, he could just sense it. He returned to his group of comrades and continued to ponder this as they spoke. Raynea had seemed nervous around him. As he watched her throughout the evening, she didn't appear to be nervous, not even once. However, when he had approached her, she tensed up. Not to mention the obvious way she had been avoiding him lately. Ever since he had tried to kiss her, she seemed a little different. Draco smirked suddenly in realization. He knew what was going on, and he was eager to find the right time to tell her this.

Meanwhile, Raynea rejoined her clique with a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She tried to put her apprehension aside and focus on something else. When she looked up at Ron, she could easily see the sadness in his face. She felt bad for him. Obviously, it was hard for him to deal with Hermione's new love connection, even if he did have Lavender. The whole thing made Raynea feel awful. All the conflict between her friends was heartbreaking. Focusing on this was difficult for her also. Raynea desperately wanted a distraction; anything that would put it all in the back of her mind.

That's when it all came back to him. Raynea's eyes fell on Malfoy and she felt her stomach contort uncomfortably. He was merely standing there with his Slytherin chums, the look on his face made it clear that he was thinking deeply about something. Raynea wondered what it was…she wondered what the hell was going on in her head, also. Suddenly, their eyes met and Raynea felt her skin grow hot. He smirked at her and she ripped her eyes away from him. She couldn't believe that she was actually letting Draco Malfoy cause her all this grief.

"_That bastard…_" she thought irritably.

***

Another hour and a half had passed and Raynea was near her breaking point. Between all her inner conflict and inane conversation that had continued around her the entire evening, she was done. However, Raynea knew she couldn't just leave Ron, especially considering his current emotional state. She would take one more break, then grin and bear it for the last hour of the party. Raynea excused herself from the group and headed out into the hallway. Luckily, no one else had chosen to loiter there but her. She leaned her back against the wall and savored the serenity. After having to listen to Lavender Brown's voice for three hours, she certainly did appreciate the quiet.

All of a sudden, Raynea heard footsteps and immediately stood up straight. Malfoy came into view and she felt her stomach jolt nervously and anger flared up inside her. It was the strangest combination of emotions she had ever experienced.

"What're you doing here?" Raynea demanded forcefully. She wouldn't let her nerves get to her this time.

"I could ask you the same question," he returned smoothly, his usual smirk already upon his face.

"I'm just getting some air," she said curtly as she folded her lips, "You should leave." He ignored her and continued on.

"You've been acting odd," he pointed out suddenly, taking a few steps towards her. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he loved every minute of it.

"I'm fine," Raynea stated briefly. The shorter the conversation, the better. Unfortunately for her, Draco had other ideas.

"You're acting different," he repeated darkly.

"You think so?" she questioned in annoyance, "Enlighten me."

"You've been avoiding me—even more than usual and if I didn't know better, I'd say you were nervous around me," Draco explained slyly.

"Well, good thing you know better," Raynea said firmly. Her tone contradicted the mess she was inside.

"Something's going on with you. I'm making you nervous…among other things…" he continued suggestively.

"Stop it."

"No."

"Stop it, Malfoy. Just go back to the poor slut that agreed to come as your date."

"Is it just me, or are you _jealous_?" he asked conceitedly with a smirk.

"I am _not_ jealous," Raynea told him as she narrowed her eyes. It was a lie, but she couldn't admit that to herself. She preferred denial.

"Oh really? Then why were you staring at us earlier?" Draco challenged

"I was _not_ staring at you," she scoffed, crossing her arms.

"You're not fooling anyone, Raynea. You're not even fooling yourself anymore," he said arrogantly as she took a step closer to her.

"I dunno what you're talking about," she said nervously.

"I think you do."

"You're wrong…again," Raynea stated pointedly as she rolled her eyes. She was a nervous wreck inside, and she knew Malfoy could sense it.

"Then why so tense?" Draco shot back devilishly, taking another step towards her.

"I'm not." Raynea swallowed a lump in her throat and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You've been lying to both of us for so long…you can't do it anymore," he said smugly.

"Stop."

"I'm right, aren't I?" Malfoy pressed confidently as his smirk grew.

"No."

"Yes."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not."

Draco grabbed Raynea by the head and forced his mouth over hers. He figured that would serve as a perfect reply. He was surprised that she hadn't pushed him away yet, and he was even more surprised by the fact that she was kissing him back.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews!! I love your feedback, its very useful! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Hopefully there will be a new one either later tonight or tomorrow. Very important HBP plot points are coming up!! Please leave a review if you would like. Thanks so, so much!!! :) **

Raynea pulled away from Draco abruptly and took a few steps back. The look on her face was one of utter disgust and he merely smirked at her. She turned her back to him and ran her shaking fingers over her lips. Both of them remained silent. Raynea spun back around to face him and simply stared.

Suddenly, she walked towards him again and pulled him forward by the front of his robes until his lips collided with hers. Draco pressed his mouth over hers forcefully and put his hands on either one of her arms as he drew her closer to him. He attempted to deepen the kiss before Raynea tore herself away from him once again. She glared at him sharply then took off down the hallway, neither one of them saying a word.

***

Raynea immediately traveled up to the Gryffindor common room. She refused to go back to the party, especially after what had just happened. The entire evening had been eventful, to say the least. Once she made it through the portrait hole, Raynea collapsed onto the couch and stared at the fire with heavy eyes. She had never been so disgusted…or intrigued.

"_No_," she thought frantically, "_How could I have let this happen_?"

Raynea put her face in her hands then pushed them back and gripped her hair tightly.

"_This can't be real…I'm going mad_."

She hated Malfoy for kissing her and she hated herself even more for kissing him back. The worst of it all was that she actually…liked it. It wasn't like when she had kissed Harry. In fact, it wasn't even comparable. Her kiss with Harry was soft and sweet, but when she and Malfoy had kissed, it was full of heat and…

"No," she exclaimed aloud, jumping up from her seat and pacing the room anxiously.

Suddenly, the portrait hole swung open and Ron came through it with a bitter look on his face. His evening had been almost as awful as Raynea's.

"What happened to you?" he asked, his tone softer than his facial expression.

"I…uh…nothing," Raynea stammered, "I just got tired of everything down there. I needed a break."

"You and me both," Ron said resignedly as he plopped onto the couch.

"So…are you okay?" Raynea questioned cautiously, taking a seat beside her friend.

"Never better," Ron stated with feigned confidence. She could see through his act quite easily.

"Fine, be in denial," she teased, hoping somehow she would get wrong to fess up to what he was really feeling.

"Look who's talking," he joked with a chuckle.

"What?" Raynea demanded hysterically. Did he know? There's no way he could have…

"With Harry, remember?" Ron said as his laughter continued, "Why are you so jumpy?"

"I'm not…it's just been a long night," she told him with a sigh.

"At least we're going home tomorrow," he reminded her.

"Right," Raynea said quietly, "We should get to bed then."

"Good idea. See you tomorrow, Rayne," Ron stood up and traveled up the stairs to his dormitory. Raynea exhaled deeply once he was out of sight and decided to head upstairs herself. She had a feeling she was in for a sleepless night.

***

Draco returned to the Great Hall feeling both accomplished and uneasy. On the one hand, he had sealed the deal with Raynea, in a matter of speaking. Though, her reaction gave him the feeling that things were only to get more complicated from here. Draco was certain of one thing, Raynea had him…completely. He hated to admit it, but he wanted to be with her. He wanted an actual relationship. It was more than just a physical desire, it had passed beyond that point awhile ago. Of course, there were many things standing in the way of this, one of them being his pride. He couldn't be with a Gryffindor and more to the point, he couldn't be with a _half-blooded _Gryffindor. He wanted her though and judging by Raynea's actions, she wanted him too.

Once he returned to his comrades, Draco attempted to put the situation in the back of his mind. He would have plenty of time to ponder it later that night. He was sure sleep wouldn't come easy.

"Where were you, Draco?" Pansy asked as she linked arms with him.

"Just getting some air," he replied coolly, clearing his throat and staring straight ahead.

Yes, Draco was certain things were about to get very complicated.

***

Raynea's eyes shot open and a beam of light streamed through the window right onto her face. She breathed heavily as she sat up and looked around her. All the other girls had already headed down to breakfast, meaning Raynea had slept in.

"Dammit," she cursed as she got out of bed and stretched.

Surprisingly, she was able to fall asleep rather quickly. However, judging by the exhaustion she felt, Raynea was sure she didn't sleep soundly. Not to mention the dream she had. She wasn't sure what the exact plot was, but she did distinctly recall that Draco Malfoy had made an appearance.

"_That git won't even leave me alone in my dreams_," she thought bitterly as she headed off to the bathroom to prepare for the day.

Raynea traveled down to the Great Hall after that, hoping that she wouldn't have to lay eyes on Malfoy. By then, she was aware that her hope meant absolutely nothing. She _would_ see him and she wasn't sure of what would happen after that. She took a seat beside Ron once she reached her destination and made an effort to eat her breakfast. Food did not seem appetizing, especially considering the intense nausea she was experiencing. As expected, Malfoy was there, sitting with his usual crowd and laughing.

"_Bloody ponce_," Raynea thought cynically, "_Why am I always a nervous wreck while he's laughing it up? This is so wrong._"

She shook her head vigorously before looking back down at her plate. She wasn't going to let Malfoy get to her. She was sure she'd be able to avoid him until the train ride to London. After that, she wouldn't have to see him for a week. Maybe he would forget that anything ever happened…

"_Yeah bloody right_."

***

Raynea had spent most of her morning packing and she was surprised when it came time to start heading down to the train. She was running a bit behind since she had slept in and insisted that Ron make his way to the train without her. Besides, Lavender had made it perfectly clear that she wanted some alone time with Ron before the break. Raynea figured she could just meet up with him once she got there. She pulled on her coat then exited the Gryffindor tower. She was somewhat relieved to be getting some time away from school. It would give her a chance to mull things over, which was something that she needed desperately

Once she made it to the staircase, Raynea began to feel completely at ease. Nothing was there to bother her. Nothing was there to cause her stress. She was on her way to what would hopefully be a peaceful train ride to a nice, relaxing holiday. However, the tranquility was unexpectedly interrupted.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

"Dammit," Raynea muttered ironically. Of course. As soon as she would start to feel calm, Draco Malfoy would have to come and ruin it all.

"I'm surprised you don't have your body guard here," Draco said sardonically, "Is Weasley off duty for the holiday?"

"Leave me alone, Malfoy," Raynea snapped, sounding as harsh as she possibly could.

"Ooh, not very nice today, are we? I have to admit, I liked you better last night," he said cruelly with a smirk.

Raynea cringed and glared at him piercingly.

"Lemme make a few things clear," she began roughly as she stopped and turned to face him, "What happened last night was the biggest mistake of my life. I regret it, I hate that it happened and from this point on, we should never speak of it again. Alright?"

"You kissed me," Draco reminded her, his tone sounding both cold and amused.

"No, you kissed me," Raynea shot back impatiently.

"I kissed you first…then you kissed me back," he corrected with a twisted yet triumphant smile.

"…Your point?"

"You pounce on me, and you want me to just forget that it ever happened? Like hell," Draco replied.

"Malfoy…"

"I think it's time you start calling me Draco, don't you?" he pointed out with raised eyebrows.

"Were you even listening to me earlier?" Raynea demanded angrily, ignoring his last point.

"Yeah, I heard you," he answered, "And I don't care."

"But—"

"I do what I want… and you should too."

"You're not what I want," Raynea told him fiercely.

"That's crap, and you know it," he countered.

"No, Malfoy, it's the truth."

"Didn't seem that way to me last night."

"Just let it go," Raynea begged in a whisper.

"You can deny it all you want, but I know that you know how you really feel," he began smoothly as his smirk grew, "And you can bet that when you come back I'll be here. That's exactly where you want me to be."

"No…"

"Have a happy Christmas…bitch," he said coolly before taking off down the hallway.

***

Raynea entered the train compartment and slid the door shut furiously. She plopped down into the seat beside Ron before she even noticed that Harry and Ginny were sitting across from her. Her cheeks turned pink from embarrassment and she smiled sheepishly. If she had known that the couple was there, she wouldn't have made such a scene. Things were awkward enough already without them being witnesses to Raynea's rage.

"Hi guys," she said.

"Hi, Rayne," Ginny responded quietly before resting her head on Harry's shoulder.

"Hi," he added on after a moment. Raynea folded her lips and looked down at her hands. It seemed like the hits just kept on coming. She sighed heavily and leaned her head back against her seat.

"Where were you?" Ron asked her with a furrowed brow.

"Oh…I was…uh…"

"I passed by you on my way down here," Ginny said, "You were with Draco Malfoy."

"Right," Raynea verified, "Yeah, I-I was."

"What in the hell was that git doing near you?" Ron demanded angrily, "I told him you weren't bloody interested."

"Well, uh, he was—"

"Interested? Ron, what're you talking about?" Harry questioned suddenly. He seemed to get quite agitated as Malfoy's name was mentioned.

"Ron, don't—"

"Malfoy's got a thing for Raynea," Ron explained in irritation, "Was he bothering you again, Rayne?"

"No…well, yes, but its okay. I took care of it," Raynea answered uncomfortably.

Luckily, their topic of conversation had switched and she felt it best to merely listen. It was weird enough having to share a compartment with Harry and Ginny, but it was made even more awkward when Malfoy was brought up.

"_Thanks a lot, Ginny_," Raynea thought in annoyance. She knew Ginny hadn't intended to make a scene, but in a way, Raynea wished she had. She could respect her more if she was doing it all on purpose.

Raynea stayed quiet for the remainder of the train ride. She had a lot on her mind and felt that her addition to the conversation would just make things even stranger than they already were. She desperately tried to sort through her feelings as she sat there, finding the gentle rock of the train to be soothing. This seemed the perfect time to lay it all out on the table, in a manner of speaking.

Raynea had kissed Draco Malfoy. Raynea had kissed Draco Malfoy and also happened to hate him. Raynea had kissed Draco Malfoy and liked it. The three things made absolutely no sense when considered simultaneously. Yes, in addition to the loathing, there was something…but Raynea had still not realized exactly what that something was. What she did know was that she was drawn to him for some reason, and as far as she was concerned, that reason was still unknown. She knew what Malfoy would say. He would, once again, crudely point out that there was some sort of attraction, but Raynea refused to believe this. It couldn't be…

There were other things to think about in terms of this situation. For one thing, Raynea still had feelings for Harry Potter. It seemed to her that it would be impossible to have feelings for Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy at the same time. So, that must have meant that she _didn't _have feelings for Malfoy. That made sense…sort of…

Raynea rolled her eyes in frustration as she thought this over. She flashed back to the conversation she had had with Malfoy right before she departed for the train. Thinking about it made her anger go into overdrive. Everything he had said was completely insane…okay, she could see where he was coming from, but he had to have known that the kiss didn't mean anything to her…It didn't…right? Raynea pounded her head against the back of her seat and narrowed her eyes as she continued to think.

"That ponce," she muttered aloud.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to all that reviewed! It means a lot! Finally, there is HBP plot in this chapter. I just wanted to remind everyone (again) that this story is AU. I know you get that, I just wanted to make it perfectly clear. Sorry for the constant reminder! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this update! I hope to have another new chapter by tomorrow. Thanks so very much!!!! :)**

The first few days of Christmas break had gone smoother than Raynea had anticipated. Fortunately, Harry and Ginny were usually off hanging out on their own which left Raynea lots of opportunities to spend time with Ron, Fred and George without having to feel completely awkward. Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley had been preparing for Christmas day since the children had arrived. They were expecting a few members from the Order as well as Bill and Fleur, so she wanted everything to be perfect.

Raynea, Ron and the twins spent much of their time outside enjoying the snow or up in Ron's room discussing various topics, such as, the twins' shop, Hogwarts and Quidditch. They kept everything light, for talk of the war was quite a downer. Besides, they figured it would come up plenty of times once the Order members showed up.

Yes, break had been quite enjoyable thus far. Raynea had been feeling a little better since she arrived at the Burrow, though a few things were still looming over her. She chose to ignore them, however. It wasn't necessary to worry just yet.

Christmas Eve had come quicker than expected. That night, Harry, Raynea and the Weasley children had chosen to spend their night warming up by the fire. Despite having to be in the presence of the happy couple, Raynea found the evening to be relaxing. A few jokes were made at Ginny's expense for dating Harry and vice versa, but it was all good natured. At midnight, everyone decided to head up to their rooms to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow's festivities.

Raynea and Ginny headed up to Ginny's room and prepared for bed. The fact that the two girls were sharing a room was probably the most unpleasant part of the break. However, it wasn't too awful. They were civil towards one another, so there weren't any major problems.

"G'Night, Ginny. Happy Christmas," Raynea said kindly as she lay back onto her cot.

"Happy Christmas," Ginny returned politely, climbing into bed and turning off the light.

Raynea fell asleep shortly after that. Despite the pleasant day she had had, she found herself having a rather ominous dream.

_Raynea was treading up the stairs of the Burrow, her hand trailing along the banister as she did. She had started at the very bottom of the staircase and kept going up. Though, it seemed like she had been traveling upwards for miles. The stairs appeared to be endless for awhile, until finally, Raynea reached the top. She entered Ron's room in the attic and merely stood in the doorway for a moment._

_The room was completely empty, which was unusual. It was cold, so cold that Raynea could see her breath every time she exhaled. She looked down to see that she was only wearing her black night gown and no shoes. She furrowed her brow before walking slowly over to the window. Once she reached it, Raynea put her hand against the glass and looked outside._

_Surprisingly, it was day time outside, though when she turned back around, the Burrow was completely dark inside. She faced forward once again and stared down at the scene outside. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Shane, Fred, George and Ginny were all dressed in coats and hats and were mingling among the snow. They were all smiling at one another then abruptly began a snow ball fight. The group began to laugh as they got deeper into the game. Raynea smiled softly for a moment then her face fell. _

_Out of nowhere, a cold, pale hand ran down Raynea's extended arm, then pulled her hand away from the window. Suddenly, there was someone behind her, right up against her back. Their arms wrapped around her waist and across her chest tightly and she felt their breath against her neck. _

_"You don't belong with them," said a cool, smooth voice. Raynea knew who it was immediately and her eyes widened. She desperately tried to break free from his grasp, but couldn't._

_"You shouldn't be here," Draco Malfoy told her coldly, "You don't belong with them. You're not like them, not anymore. Not after what you've done."_

_Raynea started breathing heavily as she was even more frantic in her attempts to break away from him. _

_"You belong with me…"_

Raynea eyes flew open and she sat up instantly, drenched in cold sweat. She breathed rapidly as she looked around the dark room with wide eyes. Without thinking, she leapt up out of bed and went out of the room before heading down the short hallway and running down the stairs. She went straight for the living room and began pacing up and down it before she noticed that she wasn't alone.

Harry was sitting on the couch, looking at Raynea with a furrowed brow. She swallowed a lump in her throat and simply stared at him for a minute.

"What're you doing up?" he questioned, breaking the short lived silence.

"Oh…uh…bad dream," Raynea told him quietly.

"Do you wanna tell me about?" Harry asked.

"No," Raynea replied quickly, hoping she didn't come off as rudely as she thought she had, "I mean…no...thank you."

"Right," he said with a nod, "I understand."

"Why are you up?" she inquired after another short pause.

"Couldn't sleep," Harry answered briefly.

"Oh…" Raynea said, "Are you okay?"

She crossed the room and took a seat beside him on the couch, making sure to leave plenty of space between them.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Harry told her as he let out a heavy sigh. She wasn't surprised that he had not decided to divulge into what he was feeling. Harry didn't seem to do that very often.

"Right," Raynea said.

There were another few minutes of quiet and the two merely avoided each other's eyes as they sat. Raynea inhaled deeply, still a bit shaken up by the nightmare she had had. Harry moved a little closer to her then turned so that he was facing her.

"So, er…how've you been?" he asked uneasily.

"Fine," Raynea answered, her eyes still wide, "Everything's been…fine."

"You don't sound very convinced," Harry stated with a chuckle.

"No," Raynea laughed, "it's been okay lately, really. Just the same old stuff."

"Really? The whole thing with Malfoy is the 'same old stuff'?" he questioned, his tone becoming grave all of a sudden. Raynea felt her body tense up and her heart beat quicken. How much did he know?

"What whole thing?"

"What Ron said, you know, about him having a thing for you?"

"Yeah, uh, that—that's been going on for awhile," Raynea admitted as she stared down into her lap.

"Oh…" Harry trailed off.

"I didn't tell you only because I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"_What a lie_," Raynea thought resignedly, "_What a bloody lie._"

"It _is _a big deal, Rayne," Harry said, obviously trying to hold back anger.

"What makes you say that?" Raynea had her own reasons for finding the situation to be 'a big deal,' but she wondered what Harry was thinking.

"Well, because…it's…Malfoy," he began, "He's dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Raynea repeated with a hint of amusement in her voice. She considered Draco Malfoy to be many things, but dangerous wasn't one of them.

"Yeah, of course he's dangerous. His parents are Death Eaters and…I dunno…he's up to something. You should stay away from him."

"Well, I wasn't really planning on going near him anyway," Raynea answered pointedly as the guilt of her past actions washed over her.

"I know," Harry told her quietly, "You wouldn't do that."

"Right," Raynea said as she exhaled shakily. Too late.

***

Draco slowly opened the door to his bedroom and passed over the threshold, hardly able to feel anything below his neck. His breathing was quite heavy as he shut the door behind him. He turned around to face his room and simply stood there as cold sweat ran down his face. He continued to breathe unsteadily as he remained in the same spot, feeling that his legs no longer had the ability to move. Things stayed this way for quite awhile. At least five minutes had passed before Draco moved again. He swallowed a lump in his throat as his body shook violently. He cast his eyes downward and noticed that his left shirt sleeve was still pushed up around his elbow. A layer of tears coated his eyes as he lifted up his left forearm so it was visible.

His eyes scanned over the fresh, black tattoo that was now covering his pale arm. A skull with a snake emerging from its mouth. The Dark Mark. As he stared down at it, Draco felt his stomach clench uneasily. He choked back tears as he hastily pulled his sleeve down to conceal the tattoo. Suddenly, he began to pace the room. It felt as though he wasn't even in control of his own body. His head was spinning as he went back and forth across the marble floor. Draco grunted loudly to keep himself from going to pieces and gripped his blonde hair in between his fingers tightly. He was trying desperately to calm down, but he couldn't. Everything had happened so fast.

Draco scowled as he felt himself losing control again. He had let go of his hair but kept pacing the room as recent memories flooded through his head.

"_I have a mission for you…"_

His breathing became more rapid as he thought. The tears were now burning his eyes and his throat was tight.

"_You have been chosen…"_

Draco walked back and forth across the room at an even faster pace as his feelings overcame him.

"_You are to kill Albus Dumbledore…"_

He felt himself breaking. He attempted to steady his breathing, though this was all in vain. He was becoming even more hysterical.

"…_or I'll kill you…"_

Draco stopped pacing suddenly, but he still could get barely enough air to his lungs. He merely stood there for a moment before turning to face the mirror that was hanging on the wall. For a second, he just looked at himself from a distance. Then, he slowly approached the mirror and stared at his reflection. The sweat was visible on his face and underneath his piercing, grey eyes were dark circles. A few tears leaked down his pale face as he gazed at himself.

"Merry Christmas, Draco."


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Thank you to those who reviewed!! Your feedback will be especially important for this update. A lot of this chapter is spent in both Raynea and Draco's heads so you can get an idea of where they stand. There gets to be more dialogue towards the end, so please trust me on that. And since Draco got his mission, the relationship between him and Raynea will obviously be a little different. It's still the same basic thing, but he's just all screwed up now. Please bear with me, this chapter was so strange to me since I couldn't make Draco act exactly the same as he was before. I'm really hoping he's not out of character now. Seriously, please tell me what you think of this chapter. If it sucks, I will totally rewrite it, but this is the plan I've had since the beginning for the most part. Though, the HBP movie reminded me of how effed up Draco was so...yeah...I'm trying to do right by the book and still keep the mood for the story the same. Anyway, please let me know what you think! Sorry for the rambling author's note, but I'm concerned. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy! Thanks so, so much!!! :) **

Christmas break had gone by in a flash. The week spent away from school felt more like a day and Raynea was not looking forward to heading back to Hogwarts. She wasn't ready yet; things were still quite complicated. After the dream she had had on Christmas Eve, she had been thinking of Draco Malfoy quite often. The dream, which seemed a nightmare to her, had her utterly terrified. It was her guilt trying to get to her, she knew that much. What scared her was what her dream seemed to be suggesting. She kept thinking back to the last thing that happened before she woke up.

"_You belong with me…_"

It wasn't true, Raynea was sure of that, but it scared her nevertheless. Ever since she had kissed Malfoy, she felt evil and dirty. She always felt like she had something to hide and constantly feared that someone had discovered the truth.

Raynea replayed the night of the Christmas party over and over in her head, wishing she could take it back. Though, a small part of her wanted to do it again. She wanted to kiss Draco Malfoy…_again_? The notion was absolutely ridiculous. Raynea never would have guessed she would want to kiss someone she was repulsed by. It was simply…wrong.

However, she was most concerned with having to see Malfoy again. The last time they had had contact with one another, he had threatened her and Raynea was certain that he would follow through with it. He wasn't going to let it go. In fact, he seemed more adamant about pursuing some kind of future together than he had about getting Raynea to admit an interest in him in the first place. Though, she figured he would still try for that as well. She would _never _admit it, simply because she didn't believe it was true.

Then why did she want to kiss him? Why put herself through further torture? None of it made sense.

As she approached the Hogwarts Express the day they were meant to return to school, Raynea felt her nerves go out of control. At least she had Ron, Harry and Ginny with her, Malfoy wouldn't do anything drastic with them around…she hoped. As they boarded the train, Raynea was becoming increasingly anxious. She was bound to run into Malfoy sometime, she always did.

The group headed down the narrow hallway that led to all the train compartments and chose one quickly. Once again, Ron and Raynea sat across from Harry and Ginny and for awhile, the four merely sat in silence. However, soon after that, Harry, Ron and Ginny got to talking about something, but Raynea remained silent. She wasn't really listening to their conversation, for she was too worried about seeing Malfoy.

Only minutes after they had gotten their seats, Raynea's fears were realized. Through the glass window of the compartment door, she saw Draco Malfoy strut by, but something was different. His usual arrogant expression was replaced with no expression at all and he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted and a bit sad, in a way. Raynea furrowed her brow and stared after him as he passed. She felt relieved once he was out of sight, though she figured she would have an encounter with him sometime in the near future. It was bound to happen.

***

The train ride to Hogwarts gave Draco a lot of time to think, and this was one of the last things he could possibly want. The events of Christmas day were obviously weighing on him. Lately, he had thought of nothing else but his 'mission'…and Raynea. Both things were sore subjects, though the former had brought him much more grief. He chose to push it out of his mind for awhile and focus on the lesser of the two problems.

Raynea had been on his mind quite a bit, both before and after Christmas. Before the holiday, Draco was certain that he would be relentless in his pursuit of her, though he would conduct this as discreetly as possible. There was no need for anyone else to know about it. He had planned to stay true to his word. When she returned to school, he would be there and he knew that that was what she truly wanted. He would be a complete pain in the ass about the entire situation, just as he always was. He wasn't sure what would happen as a result of it, but he had a feeling things would turn out in his favor. They had so far.

Now, things were completely different. He couldn't go near her. It just wasn't an option. He wanted to, he truly did, but with all that was on his shoulders, it simply wasn't possible. For one thing, he had to stay focused on his task. He had to do what was asked of him. He was chosen. More importantly, it was dangerous for him. If he had gotten close to her, something that wasn't necessarily likely to happen, she might start to figure everything out. He had to keep his mission a secret and if Raynea found out, things would get even more out of control than they already were. Also, a _small_ part of him worried for her safety…

No, his only choice was to distance himself from her…and everyone else. After all Draco had been through, he wasn't really interested in spending his time paling around with his friends like he usually did. Everyone else seemed so relaxed and happy, which was frustrating. He didn't have a great desire to be around a bunch of people. Though, Raynea was an exception to this. Despite all the misery they seemed to bring to one another, she kept him distracted. She made him feel better and Draco suspected that he did the same for her.

This didn't matter, though. He had to stay away. He didn't have a choice.

***

At dinner that evening, Raynea was relieved that her day had gone by so smoothly. Since there was no class on the students' first day back, she had spent her day with Ron, Lavender and a few others in the common room. Everyone was catching up and giving anecdotes from their break. It was quite a relaxing day, and Raynea was glad for this. However, she still had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She and Malfoy would run into each other, she was sure of it.

Though, his behavior at dinner was just as strange as it was when Raynea had seen him on the train. He merely sat there silently as everyone around him ate and chatted. Instead of being right in the middle of his group directing the conversation, he was sitting towards the end of the crowd, staring at the table with heavy eyes. Raynea was shocked by Malfoy's sudden change in behavior. During the entirety of dinner, she didn't even see him eat or look up from the table. He just sat there.

Things were even stranger once dinner was over. Raynea separated from Ron and Lavender as she usually did after dinner and made her way up to the Gryffindor tower. There was a large crowd around her right outside the Great Hall, as there often was once meals were over. Raynea was glad when she finally made it to some of the back hallways that led to a less crowded staircase. The halls were fairly empty here, with only a few students around. Amongst them was Draco Malfoy. She heard footsteps to her right and turned to see him walking in the same direction. He looked straight ahead and kept his hands in his pockets as he walked. Raynea furrowed her brow, but kept going on ahead. She wasn't going to get something started by making her presence known. Suddenly, she felt his eyes on her and she once again turned her head to look at him. Their eyes met for a moment before Malfoy ripped his away from her and increased his speed. Raynea stared after him with a puzzled expression as he turned down another corridor and out of sight.

Had he really just _avoided _her? She was shocked by this, especially considering his threats from before the break. In a way, Raynea was relieved but she was also feeling rather confused. This was not how Malfoy usually acted. It was like he was a completely different person.

***

Things had remained this way for the rest of the week. Anytime Malfoy had an opportunity to approach Raynea, he would either get up and leave or pass by her without saying a word. When she saw him in the library, he stopped what he was doing and left the room. If they were ever alone together in a hallway, he would either duck into another or turn around and start walking in the opposite direction. Raynea was both perplexed and bothered by this. It's not like she really wanted to see Malfoy, but she didn't know where she stood with things the way they were. If he was going to threaten her, he might as well have gone through with it. Otherwise, he just had her worrying for nothing.

Raynea found that things had gotten even more unusual on Saturday. She headed down to the library to do some homework. It was always a bit loud in the common room, so she always preferred the library. When she had reached her destination, Raynea performed her usual routine and set up her table then headed off into a few of the aisles to look for some books. She was having a lot of trouble in that particular search, for she couldn't find the book she was looking for. Raynea sighed in frustration before choosing another row of books to rifle through. She kneeled down to check the lower shelves without even noticing that Draco was occupying the table behind her.

She heard him moan irritably and whipped around to see that he was closing all his books forcefully and stacking them upon one another. Raynea furrowed her brow as he looked at her with narrowed eyes and stood up in preparation to leave.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded. She was sick of him acting this way. Every time she was around, he would grunt angrily and glare at her then leave. His behavior had changed drastically since she had last spent any time with him.

"Nothing," Malfoy grumbled as he picked up his books and strutted out of the library.

That was the first time Raynea had addressed him about his new attitude. It wasn't as infuriating as the way he used to act, but it still left her feeling frustrated. She shook her head in annoyance before continuing her search for the book.

***

Another week had passed, and the situation had not changed any. Draco continued to distance himself from Raynea to the best of his ability, which had proved to be even harder than it was the first time he tried it. The amount of stress he was experiencing had him feeling overwhelmed, so overwhelmed that it seemed like he would never be normal again. He felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulder while everyone else just walked around effortlessly. It was hard to be around people all the time. Draco felt so much grief among a crowd of students who always seemed so cheerful.

Everything was made worse by the fact that he had to stay away from one of the only people he wanted to be near. Yes, distancing himself from Raynea was difficult, which was why he always appeared to be so frustrated around her. He found that the easiest way to deal with this problem was to not even allow himself to get near her at all. Whenever he saw her, he desired to talk to her, touch her, do anything… but he couldn't let that happen. It was dangerous for him and he had to stay focused…but he wanted to feel better, and she made him feel better.

Even when they argued, Draco loved to be around her. He loved making her angry, he loved to _see_ her get angry, though the last time they had talked, _he _was the one whohad gotten frustrated. However, this didn't matter. He just wanted to feel better and bother the person he reluctantly cared for…was that so much to ask?

***

Raynea headed down to the lake one Sunday afternoon to get some fresh air. She had been feeling extremely cooped up lately, and desperately needed to get out a little. A lot of things had been on her mind. For one thing, her sister hadn't written her since before Christmas. Aurora was supposed to have returned from France by now, though Raynea figured she had decided to extend the trip and just hadn't bothered to tell her. However, she was still a bit worried.

In other news, Raynea had noticed that things had heated up between Hermione and Shane since their return to school. She wasn't bothered by it, merely taken aback by the irony. She supposed she was a bit jealous, not because she liked Shane, but because she missed her friend—both of her friends, actually. It was much more of a problem for Ron. Raynea felt so sorry for her best friend. He was still with Lavender when he didn't want to be _and _had to watch the girl he wanted in the arms of another guy. She could relate since she had to experience the whole Harry and Ginny debacle, though she figured Ron was in much more pain now than she was. She had had time to adjust to the situation, for Ron, the wound was still fresh.

However, the thing that she found to be the most bothersome was Draco Malfoy. Three weeks had passed, and he was still avoiding her like the plague. This simply pissed her off. He was treating her like she had done something, when she was sure he she hadn't. In her opinion, Malfoy was acting pathetic. The way he would just get up and leave in a huff anytime he saw her made Raynea livid. At this point, she wasn't sure if she preferred things this way or if she would just rather argue with him incessantly. Though, a small, nearly microscopic part of her actually missed him. She denied it as best she could, but deep down she knew it was true.

As Raynea approached the lake, she felt all her stress melt away. Taking in the scenery and enjoying the nice, cool air was quite relaxing. She needed a break from everything and everyone just for awhile. She came closer to the black abyss and felt her stomach jolt as she spotted a tall, blonde-haired figure by the water's edge.

It seemed like she was seeing Draco Malfoy everywhere lately, in spite of the fact that he fled anytime he saw her. At this point, Raynea wasn't quite sure what to do. She figured she might as well leave, for that's what Malfoy would do once he saw her. On the other hand, she had the right to loiter by the lake if she wanted to. She wasn't going to let Draco Malfoy stop her. Raynea trekked out towards the shore line and stood a few feet down from him. Considering how intensely he was staring at the lake, she wasn't even sure he would notice her. This was just as well; Raynea wasn't interested in associating with him. It would only lead to irritation.

A cool breeze went by and Raynea felt her hair fly back behind her as her eyes began to sting from the speed of the gust. As the wind calmed down, she turned to see that Draco had finally become aware of her presence. He scowled loudly and glared at her.

"I'm leaving," he declared angrily as he prepared to head up the hill. Rage surged through Raynea as she took a few steps forward and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hey!" she shouted at him irately, "What the hell is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem," Malfoy told her harshly as he whipped around to face her.

"Then why are you treating me like this?" Raynea demanded.

"Like what?"

"Like shit," she replied pointedly, "You keep acting like I did something to you. You scowl under your breath and run away like a little bitch anytime you see me. If you have something to say to me, then just bloody say it."

Draco's expression became frighteningly angry as he took a step closer to her and stared menacingly. She had never seen him this mad, and she had to admit that she was scared. Malfoy could be quite intimidating when he really wanted to.

"I have nothing to say," he told her through gritted teeth.

"Fine," Raynea said with raised eyebrows as she started to walk away, "Next time you plan on threatening me...don't—or at least go through with it. This is just pathetic."

"Stupid bint," he mumbled furiously before he addressed her directly again, "Just…leave me alone."

"Not a problem," she shot back as she continued to walk away towards the lake.

Draco stared after her both angrily and with longing. He inhaled sharply before turning around and heading up the hill.

***

Draco was thoroughly irritated once he returned to the Slytherin common room. Everything Raynea had said had pissed him off to no end. How dare she call him pathetic? She had no idea what he was going through.

"That…bitch," he muttered as he collapsed onto the couch and massaged his forehead tiredly.

On the other hand, he was still missed seeing Raynea. Being around her just reminded him of how much he wanted her. He couldn't give in…there was too much at stake. Though, he was certain of one thing: Raynea missed _him _too. Draco could see it in her eyes when she was yelling at him. In fact, it seemed to him that the real reason she had thrown a fit was because she wanted him around.

So, why not? Why should he stay away anymore? She wouldn't distract him from his mission that much. She would be there to comfort him, even if she wasn't trying to. He didn't know what it was about Raynea that left him wanting more, but he wasn't prepared to cut himself off from the one person who could help him. What was so crazy was that she didn't even say anything to help him. Her presence was enough. He wanted to annoy her like he always had. He wanted to fight with her just to see her get angry. He wanted to feel her again, just like he had at the Christmas party. He wanted to feel better. He just wanted her, and Draco Malfoy usually got what he wanted.

***

Two days had passed since the incident at the lake, and Raynea was still livid. She was able to set aside her anger to the best of her ability, but deep down, she was still infuriated.

"_Forget that prick_," she thought bitterly as she walked down an empty corridor once lessons had ended for the day, "_He means nothing to me anyway, I shouldn't even be worrying about this._" Though, this was becoming more and more difficult to tell herself. Maybe he did mean something more…

"_No._"

Raynea continued forward, desperately trying to push the negative thoughts out of her head when suddenly, she was grabbed by the arm and pulled to the side of the hallway. She looked up to see that Draco was staring down at her intensely, his hand still gripped tightly around her wrist. She furrowed her brow as he pushed her against the wall forcefully and shoved his lips onto hers. Only a moment passed before Raynea pushed him away from her and glared up at him.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

Draco paused for a moment as he pushed up against her so that her back hit the wall.

"Feeling better," he stated before grasping her shoulders firmly as he crashed his mouth on top of hers. After only a minute, Raynea was kissing him back, just as she had last time.

"_Stop_," she thought frantically, "_Stop, stop, stop, stop!_"

But she didn't.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews and encouragement! It means a lot!! I'm very relieved to hear that the last chapter didn't totally suck, though I'm still a bit nervous with this update and others in the future. Draco having his mission totally bites...he has to be all emotional...Anyway, this chapter doesn't really have much to do with his orders, so I hope he doesn't seem out of character since his big issue doesn't really come up. It will in the next chapter though, so I'm hoping this worked out alright. I'll quit rambling. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy and please leave a review. They are always welcomed. Thanks!!!! :)**

Raynea raced up the steps leading to her dormitory, feeling as though she could pass out at any moment. She gripped the banister for support until she made it to her destination and burst through the door. She collapsed onto her bed without taking off her shoes or even bothering to get under the covers. She merely lay there with her arms at her sides as she stared up at the ceiling with heavy eyes.

"_What the hell_?" Raynea thought anxiously as she felt her stomach jolt, "_What the hell am I doing_?"

The more she thought about what she had done, the more awful she felt. She had made a huge mistake—for the second time. Kissing Draco Malfoy one time was horrifying, but forgivable. Giving into him a second time...that was a different story entirely.

"_What's wrong with me_?"

Tears came to her eyes as she thought back to her last meeting with Malfoy. The way he had just grabbed her and forced himself on her was despicable. However, the fact that Raynea went along with his actions was even worse.

Raynea felt a stream of tears fall down her face and her breathing became heavy. She wished she could just stop thinking. She didn't want to think about what she had done, and she especially didn't want to think about him. She had spent too much time doing that lately. Raynea hated the situation she had gotten herself into, she hated Malfoy for even initiating such an exchange in the first place, and she hated herself for wanting it.

* **

The following day, Raynea woke up in a state of disorientation. She looked down to see that she had fallen asleep fully clothed and that everyone else had already left for breakfast. As she sat up, both her head and eyes felt heavy and she noticed that her face was stained with tears. It wasn't the best way to wake up on a school day. She groaned tiredly as she slid off her bed and headed into the bathroom to put on some fresh robes and comb her hair a bit.

Once she was presentable, Raynea made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. As she stared out the expansive windows of the castle, she felt herself drifting into a daze. There had been a lot on her mind as of late, and due to her fatigue, everything seemed to be running together. She didn't pay much attention to her surroundings as she moved on down the corridor and she bit her lip as she continued to be trapped within the confines of her own mind. Suddenly, she was ripped away from her thoughts as she felt herself pitch forward and plummet to the ground face first. Raynea sighed as she lifted her head from the ground sluggishly. She cast her eyes slightly downwards to see a pair of feet right in front of her face and furrowed her brow. Her eyes trailed upwards slowly and she moaned in annoyance as she discovered who was standing before her.

"That was graceful," Draco commented condescendingly as he looked down at her with a twisted smile.

"Shut up," Raynea said irritably, preparing to hoist herself back onto her feet.

Before she knew it, Draco had grabbed either one of her hands and pulled her up off the ground. She glared at him once she noticed that he was still grasping her hands tightly.

"What're you doing?" she asked with a frustrated tone.

"A thank you would be nice," he returned coolly, ignoring her question.

Raynea rolled her eyes before fixing them on his pale, pointed face. He was smirking at her. What a shock. Though, it wasn't quite the same as it had been in the past. His mouth was turned up at the corners, but his eyes were distant and still had dark circles beneath them.

"Can I have my hands back, please?" she questioned pointedly as she attempted to separate from him.

"How fast will you be gone once I let go?" Draco shot back, raising an eyebrow.

Raynea tore her eyes away from him and stared off to the right angrily. He knew her too well.

"Just let go," she ordered.

"Not until we have a little chat," he said.

"What about?"

"Don't act so bloody dense," Draco responded harshly, his expression becoming more frustrated, "You know what about."

"Fine," Raynea answered furiously as she slipped her hands out of his and crossed her arms, "I have nothing to say. Okay, we're done here."

"Well, this isn't just about you," he informed her coldly.

"Well, I don't really care about what _you _have to say, Malfoy."

"Draco," he corrected her, his smirk returning.

"It doesn't matter," Raynea exclaimed furiously, "I'm not talking about this, _Malfoy_."

She began to take off down the hallway, but Draco snatched her arm before she could go any further. He pulled her into him and stared down at her with an enraged expression. Their faces were only inches apart and their chests brushed against each other. Raynea cringed and looked away from him.

"You've snogged me twice and you still think I'm buying into this act?"

"It's not an act," she told him through gritted teeth, "And just for the record, _you _snogged _me_."

"It was mutual, and you know it," Draco said, seeming angry, but still a tad amused.

"Okay, so what if it was? It doesn't mean anything."

"Bull shit. It means something"

"Not to me," Raynea said as she yanked her arm out of his grip and backed up a few paces, "I don't want this."

"Well too late, Raynea. You've already got it," Draco stated gruffly, advancing her.

"Keep away from me, Malfoy," she exclaimed frantically as she held out her arm to shield herself from him.

"Why? What'd you think will happen if we get too close?" he inquired smoothly. Obviously, he had an idea of what _he _thought would happen.

"Just stay away," Raynea commanded, sounding both agitated and nervous.

"Is that what you really want me to do?" Draco asked as he raised his eyebrows smugly.

"Yes," she responded, her voice lacking certainty.

"And why don't I believe you?"

"Because you're a stubborn ass."

"Yeah? Takes one to know one."

"Why won't you just let this go?" Raynea demanded viciously, her expression livid.

"Funny. I was gonna ask you the same thing. Drop the act, bitch. It's not working anymore," Draco countered cockily.

"How many times do I have to tell you…?"

"Just one more time," he said menacingly as he walked right up to her, leaving only a few inches of space between them, "Just say the word and I'm gone because I'm sick of this. I'm not playing your bloody games anymore."

Raynea rolled her eyes then looked up at him fiercely. She sucked in her cheeks and opened her mouth slowly.

"No," she stated, pushing past him and taking off down the hallway.

***

Raynea burst into the Great Hall with a sour expression on her face. The conversation she had just had with Malfoy left her feeling infuriated…and strangely depressed. She decided to push thoughts of him out of her head as she plopped down beside Ron and began to shovel food onto her plate violently.

"Bad morning?" Ron questioned with wide eyes.

"No, it'll be fine. I'm fine. Everything's…"

"Fine," Ron supplied for her.

"Yes," Raynea agreed firmly.

"Alright," he responded with a hint of amused doubt in his voice, "Where were you by the way? You're late."

"Oh…nowhere…It's nothing," she answered clumsily.

"You've been saying that a lot lately," Ron pointed out.

"Just forget about it, Ron. It's not important," Raynea said with a smile. She didn't want him to worry about her—or know what had really been going on with her the past few weeks. It was simpler just to keep him in the dark. Besides, he had his own problems and Raynea didn't want to add hers onto the load.

Not only that, but she didn't even want to imagine what would happen if Ron found out about her 'involvement' with Draco Malfoy. That was one scenario she was desperate to avoid. Though, it didn't matter anymore because she had put an end to any further association with him. He was done with her 'games' and she was done with him.

"_This is good_…" Raynea thought as she scraped her fork against her plate absentmindedly, "_…right?_"

There was doubt in her mind. She thought if Malfoy had ever decided to stop pursuing her, she would feel nothing but relief. However, now, all she felt was anger, dissatisfaction and grief.

"_I hate him…_," she mused in an effort to convince herself, "_I hate him…don't I_? _I have to_."

***

"_That stupid bitch_," Draco thought heatedly as he trudged up a flight of stairs.

It was the evening, and he was still fuming over his confrontation with Raynea from that morning.

"_That stupid, stubborn bitch. I just wanna…_" He stopped himself from thinking any further, for he knew that any threat he could possibly think of wasn't what he truly wanted to do. What he wanted was apparently not an option; Raynea had made that perfectly clear. He was utterly frustrated. She had been sending mixed signals, and he was tired of dealing with it. If she wanted him, which she definitely did, she would have to admit it, because he was done trying. Draco wished to be around her, he really did, but he couldn't focus on pursuing her. He had more important things to do.

***

A week had passed, and Raynea still had not had any contact with Malfoy. Though, she thought about him a lot. She had been trying to sort through what she was feeling, but it always came back to the same thing.

"_I can't have feelings for Malfoy because I hate him…I can't have feelings for Malfoy because it would be wrong…I can't have feelings for Malfoy because I don't want to…_"

The real question was, did she? Did she really have feelings for Draco Malfoy? Was it even possible for her to have feelings for him? Any time Raynea came close to believing that she cared for Malfoy, she would try her best to rationalize her way out of it. The idea sounded ridiculous to her, but part of her was beginning to think it was true. Rejecting him that last time had been difficult, even though Raynea hated to admit it and not seeing him for the past few days had also been hard. She actually…missed him.

Raynea was completely and utterly torn. She wanted to go to Malfoy again. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to kiss him. All these ideas repulsed her and made her feel an extreme amount of guilt, but there was just something about Malfoy that drew her in. She still hadn't decided if she had real feelings for him, but apparently she was attracted to him in some form or another. Raynea literally cringed anytime she thought of this. It was a disgusting notion, but it was true. She wanted to be near him; something about him comforted her and kept her distracted from everything else that was too painful to deal with. However, Raynea refused to let herself go to him. She wouldn't allow herself to rely on Draco Malfoy for anything. Though, it definitely had its appeal. She had to be strong. She had to stay away.

***

A few more days had passed, and Raynea had decided to spend her Sunday in the library. Homework was actually a blessing to her at this point. It kept her mind off unpleasant things. The halls were fairly vacant considering it was a weekend, though Raynea supposed that everyone was outside. It was a beautiful day, too beautiful to spend cooped up inside the library all day. However, she didn't want to just go outside and do nothing. She needed to keep busy.

Raynea turned into an upstairs corridor on her way down to the library. She had an arm load of books and was determined to get through as much school work as she possibly could that day. She considered herself lucky that no one else was in that hallway to see her fumble with her books ineptly—at least, she thought no one else was in the hallway. Raynea attempted to tighten the grip on her books and was finally successful in doing so. She looked up so that she could see her path of travel, when she noticed that she and Draco Malfoy were headed straight for one another.

"Dammit," she mumbled in despair as their eyes met. They hadn't really been seeing much of each other lately, and this chance meeting was destined to be awkward. Rather than try to run away, both decided to approach the other. Raynea marched right up to him with a vacant expression, and he did the same to her.

"McCoy," Draco said with an eyebrow raise.

"Malfoy," Raynea responded briefly.

"Fancy seeing you here."

"I suppose."

"Miss me already, did you?" he asked arrogantly.

"In your dreams," Raynea shot back as she raised one eyebrow.

Malfoy merely smirked in amusement for a moment.

"Just like old times, isn't it?

"I guess," she replied impatiently.

"Did you buy out the whole bloody library?" he questioned coolly as his eyes fell upon the load of books she was carrying.

"It's homework," Raynea answered curtly.

"Right," he said, "Well, I guess I'll be on my way."

"Same here," she stated firmly.

"Alright."

"Fine."

"Good," Draco said with a sneer.

"Good," Raynea repeated tartly.

The two simply stared at each other for a second, both narrowing their eyes at the other. This moment seemed to last an excruciatingly long time. Raynea felt anger building up inside her as she gazed at him. He made her sick. He disgusted her. He was…unsettlingly appealing at the moment.

"Well, then…" Draco said suddenly, looking as though he was about to leave.

Raynea scowled in frustration before dropping all her books to the floor, grabbing him by the shirt collar and pulling his face towards hers. She pressed her lips against his with a fair bit of force and she felt his mouth turn up into somewhat of a smirk as he gripped the back of her head and brought her closer. This embrace lasted for quite awhile before Raynea pushed him away abruptly.

"Looks like someone's changed their mind," Draco stated cockily.

"Don't flatter yourself," Raynea snapped as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you crossed my path, not the other way around," he pointed out, seeming darkly triumphant.

"Fine," she agreed in annoyance, "I did. It was me this time, okay?"

"Alright," he answered with a twisted smile, "Now we're getting somewhere."

"Oh, boy," Raynea said irritably as she kneeled down to collect her fallen books.

The next thing she knew, Draco was knelt in front of her, picking up her items as well. Raynea stared at him in disgust.

"Okay…I'm never gonna get used to that," she stated in reference to his aid.

"Just take the damn books, Raynea," he ordered roughly as he shoved them at her.

"…or that," she added after he called her by her first name.

"You better get used to calling me Draco," he said rudely as he raised his eyebrows.

"Never gonna happen, _Malfoy_."

"I'll let that go, for now. How about you get to telling me what the hell's going on in that pretty little head of yours."

"Bloody hell," Raynea groaned exasperatedly.

"Get to it," Draco commanded gruffly, "This is the last time you jump on me without any explanation."

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. Raynea paused for a moment and he merely stared at her with an expectant smirk. She sighed heavily.

"I'm attracted to you, you disgusting bastard," Raynea admitted harshly, "And just for the record, that's all I feel towards you. It's an attraction. I don't have feelings for you. Whatever it is between us…it might just be a physical draw…"

She trailed off after her clumsy explanation to see that he was smirking at her and had his eyebrows elevated smugly.

"_Anyway_," Raynea continued pointedly, "That's all it is."

"Right, but what is _this_?" Draco questioned conceitedly as he pointed back and forth between the two of them, "What is this?"

"It's…nothing," she told him, struggling to find the right word.

"Two people snogging in an empty hallway where no one can see them is 'nothing'?" he inquired with haughty amusement.

"It's not a relationship, if that's what you mean," Raynea clarified with narrowed eyes.

"Whatever you say, Raynea," Draco responded, the smirk on his face seeming to be permanent.

"And another thing, Malfoy," Raynea said as she stood up with the stack of books in her arms, "I don't have feelings for you now and I never will. And this, whatever the hell it is, it will _never _be a relationship. Ever."

She glared at him before tightening her hold on the books and heading off down the corridor. Draco stared after her with a smug expression on his face.

"We'll see…bitch," he said aloud once Raynea was out of sight.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Thanks so, so much for the reviews!! Your feedback has been so useful! This chapter covers A LOT of material. It's the longest chapter in the story so far. I know that the relationship between Raynea and Draco is weird right now, so I should warn you that it gets more complicated from here. Trust me, there is a reason to my madness. This chapter addresses a lot of important plot points, so lemme know what you think of it. Also, I would also suggest listening to a really sad song once you get to the last section. It'll really help set the mood :) Please, please review! I really hope you enjoy! Thanks!!!!! :)**

The past two weeks had been an adjustment for Raynea. She had to come to terms with the fact that she was sort of involved with Draco Malfoy. They weren't 'together,' they weren't even close to that. It was a strange relationship—if it could even be called a relationship at all. What it could be named in the simplest sense is a friends plus benefits relationship, minus the friendship. Whenever they met up, it was always in secret and they just snogged for the most part. When they did talk, they usually argued. It was a very strange arrangement.

Raynea was barely able to cope with it. She felt so unimaginably guilty; she could barely face her own reflection. Having a draw to Malfoy was wrong. The whole thing was just wrong. It's not like they treated each other any differently. In fact, they were fighting more than ever. Malfoy always approached her one of two ways: he was either his usual, arrogant self with somewhat less of an edge or, he was frantically angry and stressed out. Though, every single time Raynea saw him, Malfoy looked exhausted and at times he even seemed sad. He had more mood swings than anyone she had ever seen. It was odd.

The non-relationship they had was still fresh, and still difficult for Raynea to comprehend. She couldn't believe what she had gotten herself into, but she wasn't too keen on getting out of it. Despite how poorly he treated her, Malfoy was technically there for her when she needed him—even if all he did was snog her. He was comforting, in his own way, even though he wasn't trying to be. However, the situation probably did more harm than good. Raynea's guilt was so heavy. Anytime she was with Ron, she felt like he shouldn't even have to look at her. What would he say if he knew?

Also, Raynea felt horribly when she had to lie about her absences. She didn't see Malfoy very many times, but when she was with him, she always felt like people knew where she was. The predicament had made her quite paranoid. Whenever someone would ask her where she had headed off to, she would have to come up with some lame excuse—this really got to her after awhile. She didn't have to lie very much, but the fact that she had to do it at all was frustrating.

Things were bad all around. Besides Raynea's issues with Malfoy, she was experiencing turmoil elsewhere. Ron was trying to handle the idea of Hermione and Shane together, but Raynea could see that it was killing him. She realized that this was more of a problem for him than it was for her, but she felt terribly for him. Plus, her recent unexplained absences probably weren't helping the situation any. There had been a few times when Raynea had been gone and Ron had wanted to spend time with her or needed to talk, but she wasn't there. The idea that she hadn't been there for Ron when she should've been made her feel sick to her stomach.

Also, Raynea still had heard no word from Aurora, and was beginning to really worry. Even if her sister had extended her trip without telling her, she wouldn't leave the country for such a long period of time. Raynea made an attempt to get some information by writing to Aurora's boyfriend, Luke, but she hadn't heard back from him yet. She had just recently sent the letter, so perhaps he hadn't had time to reply, but Raynea still worried anyhow.

Not to mention, she still had lingering feelings for Harry. While she had this complicated 'thing' with Malfoy, she still found herself noticing Harry. He and Ginny weren't quite close as they used to be. They didn't spend every waking moment together like they had been for the past few months, and they'd also been fighting more often. Raynea wasn't happy about this exactly, for she felt bad that they were having problems, but a part of her felt vindicated. Also, she and Harry had become somewhat friendlier since Christmas. They weren't exactly buddy-buddy like they once were, but they exchanged pleasantries every so often, which was nice. Though as Raynea slowly began to fix her friendship with Harry, she felt more guilt about what she was doing with Malfoy. The circumstances were quite complicated and difficult to bear.

Yes, things were quite complicated for Raynea. However, Draco was even more in over his head. The only remotely good thing in his life at the moment was Raynea, and even that was far from perfect. Their relationship—or lack thereof was so strained and she was reluctant to admit feelings for him. This bothered him, but he was glad to just have one thing that he wanted. At least she was there for him, even if that wasn't her intention. Keeping it a secret was difficult also, but it was nothing compared to the other secret he was keeping…

Draco had made no progress in terms of his mission. He had visited the Room of Requirement just once to mend the Vanishing Cabinet, but he still had a long way to go. If that didn't follow through, he would have to think of another way to off Dumbledore. He was under such an unbelievable amount of stress, that he could barely calm down. He was anxious all the time and he could hardly even get to sleep at night. Constantly, Draco would wake up exhausted. He never truly slept soundly. The weight of this burden was great. His life was at stake, how else could he possibly react?

Sometimes he was able to manage his stress. If he was around Raynea, he was able to force himself to act the way he had in the past for awhile, but if he had been around her too often, he would eventually just revert back to the nervous, angry, depressed person he had become. Though, he would try his best to fake it. Averting suspicion was important. It was dangerous enough that he was even around Raynea, if he didn't stay guarded, things would get out of hand.

Keeping his distance from his friends was also difficult. They were too involved with themselves to ever really notice he was gone, but Draco still felt uneasy about his constant isolation and disappearances. The only one who ever asked him about it was Pansy. He was still mildly involved with her, but everything else kept him distracted from her most of the time. Though, in her eyes, they were still a couple. This was just as well; at least it didn't seem like he had changed completely. His mission had to remain a secret. Draco tried his best to act like he was normal, but he felt as though everyone could see right through him.

***

Valentine's Day was fast approaching and everyone was becoming very excited. A lot of couples had planned a romantic day, especially considering that the holiday coincided with a visit to Hogsmeade. Ron, however, seemed to be dreading Valentine's day more than anyone else. Raynea felt both sorry for him and slightly amused.

"Lavender already has our whole day planned out hour for hour," Ron explained with wide eyes as he and Raynea trekked out to the lake one Saturday, "I'm gonna die."

"Most likely," she stated teasingly as she clapped her friend on the shoulder.

"Don't joke about this, Rayne," Ron said, "This is serious."

"You need to calm down," Raynea told him with a laugh, "It's just one day."

"Yeah…one day of mind numbing torture," he corrected as he put his head in his hands.

"If you're dreading it so much, then just break up with her," Raynea suggested.

"Are you mad?" Ron demanded, "It's a week before Valentine's day. If I broke up with her now, she might kill me."

"Good point," she agreed as she winced dramatically, "Then I guess you'll just have to tough it out."

"Bloody hell…" Ron trailed off.

"Do you know if Harry and Ginny have anything special planned?" Raynea questioned curiously as she folded her lips.

"Raynea, my best friend is dating my sister…do you really think I want to know if they have anything special planned?" Ron asked pointedly.

"That's true," she said with a shrug, "I just thought I'd ask."

"You guys sorta seem to be patching things up," Ron pointed out optimistically.

"Yeah, we are," Raynea responded as she smiled, "Slowly but surely."

"That's good," Ron said with a nod, "And uh…I'm guessing you're still not talking to Hermione?"

"No," she told him sadly, "Neither one of us can really get through to her."

"Yeah…" Ron answered as his expression became depressed suddenly, "She still seems to spend a lot of time with that Ravenclaw friend of yours."

"It won't last, Ron," Raynea said in an effort to be encouraging.

"It doesn't matter," he stated, shaking his head rapidly as if this would remove the thoughts from his head, "So, what're you doing for Valentine's day?"

"A whole lot of nothing," Raynea replied, feigning indifference. Truly, it did bother her that everyone else seemed to have a relationship—well, a real relationship, when she didn't. Valentine's Day would be fun and exciting for most of the students, but for her, it would be a day of utter misery.

"Aren't you going to Hogsmeade?" he questioned with a furrowed brow.

"I don't think so," Raynea answered.

"Oh, come on, Rayne. You have to go. Everyone else is going."

"Yeah, and everyone else has a reason go. I don't."

"Why don't you come with me and Lavender?" Ron suggested with a bright smile.

"Nice try," she said, returning his gesture, "The last time you tried to rope me into going to something with you and Lavender I ended up spend the whole night bored before going to—"

Raynea stopped herself before she could continue. She couldn't believe what an idiot she was. She had come so close to telling Ron about…No, if that had happened, things would've gotten very ugly very fast.

"What?" Ron asked with interest.

"Uh…before going to bed," Raynea lied quickly with a grin.

"Right," he said as he chuckled.

Raynea felt guilt wash over her. Ron was so quick to trust her because they could always rely on each other. Though lately, she felt as though he shouldn't trust her at all. She didn't deserve his friendship, not after all the sneaking around and lying she'd done lately.

"Oh, bloody hell," Ron cursed, grimacing and looking down at his shoes uncomfortably.

"What?" she questioned as she peered ahead of her. Suddenly, she knew exactly what Ron was talking about.

"It's bad enough having to see Malfoy on his own, but he's even harder to lay eyes on when he has Pansy Parkinson stuck to his face," Ron explained with a cringe.

Raynea looked slightly down the hill and saw the sight of Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson making out against a tree while a group of their Slytherin friends horsed around by the lake's shore. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Her stomach was in knots and she thought her knees were going to give out on her completely. She hoped her facial expression didn't give her away.

"What kind of desperate slut would snog Draco Malfoy out in the open like that? Actually, the better question is, what kind of girl would snog Draco Malfoy at all?" Ron said with a hint of disgusted amusement in his voice.

Raynea felt even worse once Ron said this. Yes, she could hardly breathe now. Standing did not feel good at this point. She just hoped she could appear apathetic.

"Yeah, really," she agreed, "It's…disgusting."

"Honestly," Ron stated, "Let's go back up to the castle. I wanna actually be able to eat my dinner."

"Yeah…me too," Raynea said absentmindedly.

***

Raynea headed down to the library that evening still feeling awful inside. The sight of Draco and Pansy was…shocking, to say the least. She hated to admit it, but she was jealous and a small part of her questioned whether or not she was merely attracted to Malfoy. What if it was more? Raynea immediately pushed this thought out of her head once she reached the library. However, her guilt started to get to her once the fear was gone. All those things Ron had said deeply effected her. He was just saying what he truly thought, it's not like he was trying to hurt her. He had a point though. He had put what Raynea was feeling into simple terms. When it came down to it, she felt like a slut. She was having a strictly snogging relationship with a guy who she wouldn't even admit to caring about, who also happened to have another girl on the side.

That was another thing Raynea hadn't thought about until that day. Draco was still technically with Pansy even though he was snogging her. That made her feel brilliant. She was a cheating slut.

"_Great_," Raynea thought bitterly as she perused through a particular aisle of books, "_Just bloody great_."

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her and she turned around swiftly. There stood the boy in question. Raynea felt anger surge through her as soon as she saw him. Draco stood before her like everything was perfectly fine, while she was a guilty mess.

"Looking for something in particular?" he asked suggestively as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"No," Raynea answered curtly. She turned her back on him and stared at the books in front of her.

"There's no one really around, so…" Draco trailed off, obviously expecting Raynea to fill in the blanks.

"No, thanks," she replied disgustedly.

"What's with you?" he demanded harshly.

"Nothing," Raynea snapped, still refusing to face him.

"Doesn't seem that way to me," he said coolly.

"I don't really care how it seems to you, Malfoy," she told him, "Just go away."

"Ah, I think I know what this is about," Draco stated in realization as a smirk appeared on his face, "You saw me at the lake."

"How did you know about that?" Raynea questioned, whipping around so that they were face to face.

"I saw you."

"I'm surprised you could see anything with Parkinson glued to your face," she said bitterly as she crossed her arms.

His smirk merely grew at this and he took a step closer to her.

"What the hell are you grinning at?" Raynea demanded in annoyance.

"You were jealous," Draco said arrogantly.

"Please," Raynea scoffed, "I don't care what you do. Do whatever you want. Like I bloody care. It's not like we're together or anything."

"Right," Draco stated disbelievingly as his amusement grew, "Because this will _never _be a relationship. Ever."

Obviously, Malfoy loved to use her own quotes against her.

"Exactly," Raynea said in agreement. A moment passed and she chose to turn her back on him, then she had another thought. She twisted back around to face him and narrowed her eyes.

"It's just…" she trailed off.

Draco raised his eyebrows expectantly as the despicable yet endearing smirk remained on his face.

"You didn't tell me that you were with—whatever, it doesn't matter."

"I didn't think so," he said.

"Fine," Raynea shot back as she looked away from him again.

"You're seriously not gonna admit that you were jealous, are you?"

"Nope," she told him simply.

"You're a bloody idiot," he informed her.

"Thanks for the tip," Raynea responded sarcastically.

"Merlin, you're infuriating," Draco exclaimed as anger slipped into his tone.

"Well, if I'm so infuriating, then why even bother with me?"

"What're you saying?"

"I'm saying…I think that this whole thing is just stupid."

"Do you, now?" he asked menacingly.

"Yes," Raynea verified sharply, "I'm done with this."

"That quick?"

"Yes."

"Bull."

"Just shut up," she threatened as she tried to get past him.

Draco stepped in front of her so that she had nowhere to go and glared down at her.

"You change your mind more than anyone I know," he said irritably, "You have no room to pass judgment on me. This isn't a relationship, remember?"

"I know that, you ponce," Raynea answered furiously.

"Then why are you so angry?"

"I'm not angry."

"You're upset."

"I am _not _upset."

"You're a really bad liar."

"Malfoy—I'm two seconds away from beating your ass."

"Is that a threat?" he inquired amusedly, "Sounds more like a promise to me."

"You're disgusting," Raynea said with a gag as she attempted to push past him again. He stepped in front of her just as he had before.

"Get outta my way," she commanded fiercely.

"Is it so hard to admit that you're jealous?"

"It is considering it's not true."

"You don't seem to have a problem withholding the truth from Weasley and all your other gits."

"Don't go there," Raynea warned.

"This is simple, really," Draco explained pompously, "It's a one word answer. Were you jealous?"

She glared at him viciously and took a step towards him. There was a minute's pause.

"Yes."

"Why?" he asked with a conceited tone.

"I dunno," Raynea stated, crossing her arms over her chest once again, "because you're a bloody git."

"Good answer," Draco said sardonically with an eyebrow raise.

"Whether I was jealous or not, this is still…wrong."

"Raynea—"

"No…I think that—just no."

Raynea finally was able to get past him. She headed out of the library in an effort to avoid any further contact with him. Draco stared up at the ceiling and smiled darkly. He didn't see this separation lasting very long.

***

It was the day that most happy couples waited for all year. Valentine's day. Everyone was chattering rather loudly about their plans that morning at breakfast, much to Raynea's annoyance. However, she had finally decided to accompany Ron and Lavender to Hogsmeade. Ron really seemed to want her there, and it wasn't like she had anything better to do. Spending a day with her best friend was definitely better than spending it cooped up in her dormitory all day. She wasn't quite sure how Lavender would take the news, but Ron didn't seem too concerned. Raynea decided she'd just wait and see how things panned out.

Though, there were other things about the day that she was dreading in addition to Lavender's reaction. For one thing, having to see Draco and Pansy strut about Hogsmeade together. Raynea had come to terms with the fact that she was jealous. Malfoy knew it so there was no point in staying buried in denial. She also couldn't deny the fact that she missed him. They had only been 'broken up' for a week, but Raynea wasn't entirely sure if it would last. She would've gone to him sooner, if it wasn't for Pansy. Raynea wasn't interested in being 'the other woman' and she especially had no interest in being a cheater. She never particularly like Pansy Parkinson, but no one deserved that. Not even a Slytherin.

Once breakfast was over, the students headed out to the front of the school to congregate before going to the village. Ron and Raynea were standing together to wait for Lavender. Hopefully she wouldn't be too surprised by the sudden change of plans.

"Are you sure Lavender won't, you know, kill me for butting in on your date?" Raynea asked doubtfully.

"It'll be fine," Ron responded confidently, "I think."

"You think?" she repeated with an eyebrow raise.

"Well, you spend a lot of time with us anyway, so maybe she won't even notice," Ron suggested.

"Yeah, that's likely," Raynea said sarcastically, "Are you sure _you _don't mind? I don't wanna cramp your style."

"Are you joking? Of course I don't mind," Ron told her pointedly, "Do you really think I wanna spend the whole day alone with—"

Lavender appeared before them with a hesitant expression on her face. She didn't really seem to be taking well to Raynea's presence.

"Ron…" Lavender trailed off, "…and Raynea…what're you doing here?"

"Well, uh—"

"Better let me handle this one, Rayne," Ron mumbled as he escorted Lavender off to the side.

Raynea waited alone while Ron explained the circumstances to Lavender. She crossed her arms across her torso to trap in warmth, for it was still quite cold since it was only February. She looked around the crowd with heavy eyes and took in the scene of happy couples before her. In the very far distance, she could see Harry and Ginny. They didn't look particularly excited considering it was Valentine's Day. Raynea supposed the problems they had been having were getting worse. She quickly tore her eyes away from them and gazed off to her right. There, she saw Draco and Pansy standing with a group of their friends. Pansy had her hand wrapped around Draco's arm while he merely stared straight ahead with an anxious expression. He looked even paler than usual and the circles below his eyes had become even darker. Though Raynea was aware of his erratic behavior, he looked worse than she'd ever seen. It appeared as if he was tortured inside. The way he just looked ahead of him as everyone else contributed to the conversation was strange, to say the least.

Raynea was ripped from her thoughts abruptly as Ron and Lavender approached her. Lavender had a rather firm look on her face as she gazed at Raynea and appeared to be grinding her teeth tightly. Ron seemed a little scared upon his return. Raynea guessed that Lavender hadn't taken the news very well.

"Ready to go?" Ron questioned cautiously. Lavender merely nodded and Raynea just stared up at her friend with a nervous expression. Ron widened his eyes before glancing over at Lavender, who was still fuming. It was going to be an interesting day.

***

The last two hours had been completely and utterly awkward. Lavender had spent most of the day in irate silence while the three of them wandered around Hogsmeade. Raynea and Ron also hadn't been saying much, for they weren't sure if talking would only add to Lavender's irritation. This would be a Valentine's Day none of them would soon forget.

After a brief walk to the Shrieking Shack, they headed back to the village with the Three Broomsticks as their next destination. Lavender was still unusually quiet and Ron and Raynea merely exchanged looks. Finally, Raynea decided that it was best to break off from the group. Obviously, her presence was bothering Lavender and she didn't want to ruin her holiday anymore than she already had. Just because she had no one to spend the day with, didn't mean she had to go and intrude on someone else's.

"Hey guys, I think I'm gonna take off," Raynea informed them suddenly as she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Really?" Lavender asked, perking up.

"Yeah," Raynea answered, "I'll just wander around for awhile."

"Are you sure?" Ron questioned. She nodded and offered them a bright smile.

"You guys go. Have a great day."

"Brilliant," Lavender said excitedly as she tugged Ron's arm, "Come on, Ron."

"Alright," he agreed with a sigh, "Bye, Rayne."

"See you later," Raynea stated kindly, taking off in the opposite direction.

She started off down the walkway and shoved her hands in her pockets. It was a beautiful day outside and Raynea figured she could just enjoy the scenery and take some time to think. She peered into the windows of the shops as she passed them and grinned softly as she saw all the couples. She decided to let go of her anger. It was nice to see everyone so happy and excited. She suddenly realized that being bitter wasn't getting her anywhere. It made her feel better to see people with smiles on their faces.

Raynea turned her head forward again and was greeted with an unusual sight. Just ahead, she saw Hermione sitting on a bench with her hands folded in her lap and her head pointed downwards. Raynea heard a few sobs coming from her and suddenly rushed over to see what was going. Whether or not she and Hermione had been talking lately, she was still going to be there for her. It was the right thing to do.

"Hermione?" Raynea said cautiously as she stood before her old friend, "What's wrong?"

Hermione looked up at Raynea with tears streaming down her face. It appeared as though she had been crying for awhile. Her nose was red and her expression looked utterly miserable.

"Shane…" she trailed off.

Raynea's face fell as she took a seat beside Hermione. She had a feeling she knew exactly what happened.

"What'd he do?" Raynea asked for clarification. She didn't want to assume.

"He broke it off," Hermione responded after a short pause, "It's just as well…He wasn't even that interesting anyway…"

Raynea folded her lips and patted Hermione on the back comfortingly.

"Breaking up with you Valentine's Day…" Raynea said as she rolled her eyes, "He's a total git."

"I'd have to agree," Hermione stated, inhaling deeply, "It doesn't matter, I suppose. I wasn't really in that relationship anyway."

Raynea's eyes softened and she nodded in understanding.

"It'll be okay, Hermione," she assured her.

"You're right," Hermione agreed as her crying slowly came to an end, "Thanks."

"Anytime," Raynea said with a grin. The two merely sat in silence for a few moments as Hermione's tears stopped. It wasn't at all uncomfortable. In fact, Raynea really enjoyed being with her friend again. Though, she wasn't a fan of the circumstances. Shane was an ass, in her opinion. Anyone who would break up with their significant other on Valentine's Day was a heartless jerk. As Raynea pondered this, Hermione turned towards her and began to speak.

"Raynea…I've been really stupid lately," she said as she glanced down at her hands for a second.

"Believe me, when it comes to stupidity…I take the cake," Raynea told her with wide eyes as she shook her head.

Hermione laughed briefly before looking up at Raynea with a serious expression.

"I'm really sorry," she said, "Sorry for everything."

"Don't apologize," Raynea stated with a bright smile, "I've been in the wrong. I'm so sorry, Hermione."

"It's okay," Hermione answered with a grin, "Let's just forget about all this. We have so much to catch up on."

"Oh yeah," Raynea said in agreement, "You have no idea."

The girls stood up and made their way towards the Three Broomsticks, both feeling cheerful and relieved. Raynea was so glad to have her friend back. All the months she'd spent feuding with Hermione had been hard, but she was happy to know that things were right between them again. As the pair continued down the walkway, they passed by a large crowd of people, among them were Draco and Pansy. Raynea had abruptly paused in the middle of her sentence and gazed at them with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Draco still had the same exhausted, nervous look about him and this had her feeling concerned. When he passed by her, Draco glanced at her briefly before fixing his eyes on the path ahead of him. Raynea redirected her attention also and tried not to let her feelings get to her.

"Raynea, are you alright?" Hermione questioned with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah…" Raynea replied distractedly as she bit her lip, "Yeah, I'm fine."

***

Despite some minor awkwardness in the morning, Raynea found that her day had been rather pleasant. Reuniting with Hermione was great and had her feeling a bit relieved. Something had finally gone right for once. She and Hermione had spent the remainder of their Hogsmeade trip at the Three Broomsticks talking and joking around just like old times. Once all the students returned to Hogwarts, Hermione and Raynea sat in the Gryffindor common room and continued to catch up on things. It was quite early in the evening when Hermione headed off to bed, but Raynea didn't mind. They had spent most of the day together, and they were bound to spend more time together in the future. It was so nice to have her friend back.

Raynea remained in the common room for awhile longer, and merely stared at the fire as she reflected deeply about a few things. Draco had crossed her mind a time or two throughout the day and she found that now that she was alone, she thought about him even more. A lot of things about him were bothering her at the moment. She was jealous that he had spent the day with Pansy Parkinson; she was worried that he had been looking so worn lately, and she was concerned that she was so concerned about everything having to do with Draco Malfoy.

Raynea shook her head rapidly before standing up and heading towards the stairs that led to the dormitories. She figured she would find Ron and see how the rest of his day went. She prepared to put her foot on the first step, when Harry suddenly came racing down the stairway. He was dragging Ron along behind him and had a determined look on his face.

"Harry, what's going on?" Raynea questioned as she studied Ron with a furrowed brow. He was staring up at the ceiling dreamily with a goofy smile on his face. Something was definitely off about him.

"He's been dosed with a love potion," Harry told her with a sigh, "I'm gonna take him to Slughorn to see if he can do anything to help."

"Good thinking," Raynea said, her tone reflecting the worry she had for her friend's well being, "Do you think he'll be alright?"

"He should be fine," Harry assured her as he walked towards the portrait hole.

"Let me know when you get back."

"I will," he stated with a strained smile before exiting the common room.

Raynea exhaled as she stood and stared ahead. She watched the portrait hole swing closed and felt oddly anxious once it did. She was worried about Ron, even if he was simply under the effects of a love potion. She was still troubled about Draco, as well. Being in the common room suddenly made her feel cooped up. Maybe wandering around a bit would calm her nerves. Raynea headed towards the portrait hole resignedly, not sure where her walk would take her.

***

Draco stood atop the Astronomy Tower, with a look of dread upon his face. He kept his gaze fixed upon the sky and his arms at his sides. He was feeling dead inside in addition to stressed out and angry. All of his problems were really getting to him that day, and he needed some time to think. Though, all he could think about was what he was being forced to do, and some things that he had already done. He had had many more visits to the Room of Requirement over the past week, and was making some progress with the Vanishing Cabinet. Though, that didn't bother him nearly as much as what else he had done lately.

He had recently made his first attempt to assassinate Albus Dumbledore. Spiking a bottle of wine that was intended for the headmaster with poison would do the trick…though he hoped not. Everything that was weighing upon him, all the things that were expected of him left Draco feeling empty. He was depressed and scared and a whole lot of other things. Nothing seemed right anymore. Nothing was normal anymore.

Draco heard a noise behind him, but didn't turn around. He didn't care. He simply stared straight ahead with heavy eyes. It was all he could do. Suddenly, he felt a presence beside him. He knew who it was immediately. He looked out of the corner of his eye and verified that it was Raynea, though he didn't look at her or say a word. He continued to gaze ahead of him, his eyes tired. He knew that she wasn't looking at him either. She also kept her eyes focused on the landscape ahead of them. He was glad that she hadn't chosen to speak. He wasn't really in the mood for an argument, at the moment.

They remained this way for several minutes. Draco started to feel a little relieved once Raynea had shown up, but her company wasn't of much help. Even she couldn't make him feel normal, though he was still somewhat glad to have her there. His troubles continued to rip through him and he felt tears coat his eyes. However, he didn't allow the tears to actually fall. It wouldn't solve anything and he refused to let himself go to pieces in front of another person. At this point, Raynea half-turned her head so that her face was sort of angled towards his. Draco didn't follow her actions. He just looked on ahead.

Unexpectedly, he felt Raynea grab his hand. She laced her fingers in between his and gripped it tightly. At first, he didn't react. Then, after a minute, Draco returned the gesture. He squeezed her hand and closed his eyes briefly before reopening them. Using his peripheral vision, he could see that Raynea had a soft yet sad expression on her face. He'd never really seen her like this and it was even stranger to see her act this way on his behalf. Though, for the time being, he didn't care. He just liked the company.

The two stayed this way for quite a long time. They simply stood next to one another with their hands joined and stared at the grounds. Neither one spoke a word to the other. It was nice. There was no arguing. There was no snogging. They were just alone together. It felt like it was happening for the first time.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews!! I really, really appreciate it! So, this chapter is seriously all over the place. It's another long update, and I'm really hoping it is to your liking. If you get frustrated with Raynea towards the middle, I can seriously understand, because I got pissed off writing it and it's my own freaking story. However, it's all part of the plan, so please trust me. Hopefully, the ending of the chapter will redeem it. I'm pretty concerned with this section, not gonna lie. I will redo it if it totally fails, like for real. Though, I'm hoping it won't come to that. Just to give some perspective, Raynea will be out of denial soon if that's of concern. More HBP stuff and Harry involvement also coming up soon! Just thought I'd give you an idea of what will be happening in the next couple chapters. Anyway, please, please review!! I love to know your thoughts about what's going on in the plot. I really, really hope you enjoy!! Thanks so much!!!! :)**

Raynea returned to the Gryffindor common room just before curfew. She had a lot on her mind, but didn't feel like thinking about it just yet. A good night's sleep was what she really needed, at the moment. She was halfway up the stairs that led to her dormitory, when she suddenly bumped into someone. Raynea looked up to see Harry staring down at her with wide eyes. He was breathing heavily and seemed extremely uptight.

"Harry, is everything—"

"Raynea, you need to come with me. Now."

* **

Harry, Hermione, Raynea and Ginny had been sitting in the Hospital Wing with Ron for the past few hours. Raynea still couldn't comprehend exactly what had happened. She constantly asked Harry to repeat the story.

"Slughorn had a bottle of wine and we were all going to have some of it once he was able to cure Ron," he explained tiredly, "Ron was the first to drink it and it turns out the bottle had been poisoned."

"He was lucky that you were there, Harry," Hermione said thankfully as she sat at Ron's bedside, staring at him with soft eyes.

"Yeah, Slughorn completely freaked out," Harry told them, "None of us were expecting it."

"I'm just glad you acted fast," Raynea stated as she looked upon her unconscious best friend, "Who would try to poison Slughorn, anyway?"

"The bottle was supposed to go to Dumbledore," Harry responded uneasily.

"Bloody hell," Raynea sighed as she put her head in her hands.

"Do you think he'll wake up soon?" Ginny asked suddenly, patting her brother's hand tenderly.

"I dunno," Harry answered with a shrug, "He was pretty out of it earlier."

Almost as if he had heard the entire conversation, Ron stirred and cocked his head to the side so that he was facing Hermione. His eyes were closed and it appeared as though he was still asleep. Hermione furrowed her brow as she stared down at him.

"It's getting late," Ginny said abruptly as she stood up, "We should probably head back to the common room. I'm sure we'll be able to visit him tomorrow."

"You're right," Raynea agreed, "We should give Ron some time to rest."

The group reluctantly headed towards the door, not really ready to leave Ron alone in such a state. At least they could come back tomorrow.

***

After a rather restless night's sleep, Raynea woke up early the next morning so that she, Harry, Hermione and Ginny could return to the Hospital Wing to check up on Ron. She prepared for the day as quickly as she could, but already seemed to be running behind. Hermione had made her way down to the common room to meet up with Harry and Ginny before the group would head off to the Hospital. Raynea had been keeping them waiting for a few minutes now, and she was sure that they were getting antsy. Ginny poked her head into the sixth year girls' dormitory after awhile to see if Raynea was ready to go.

"Come on, Rayne. We're all already waiting downstairs," she said, clinging onto the doorknob impatiently.

"You guys go ahead," Raynea suggested as she combed her hair swiftly, "I'll catch up."

"Alright," Ginny answered with a small smile, "See you down there."

Ginny was gone shortly after that and Raynea tried her best to speed up her morning ritual. She wanted time to see Ron before breakfast that day and intended to return to him once it was over. Even if he was unconscious, he deserved all the company he could get. He had been through quite an ordeal and Raynea wanted to make his recovery as pleasant as possible. Once she had finished getting ready, Raynea made her way towards the Hospital Wing as fast as she could. She nearly ran down the first flight of stairs she came to and was in such an absent state of mind that she crashed right into someone. She braced herself on the banister so that she wouldn't fall and grabbed the person by the front of the shirt so that they wouldn't topple to the ground either.

"Watch where you're going," snapped a cool voice. Raynea focused her attention on the figure that she had by the collar and felt her stomach drop. Draco stared back at her with a surprised expression on his face and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Where're you going in such a hurry?" he asked as Raynea released his shirt. She straightened up and evaded his eyes.

"Hospital," she responded quietly.

"What happened?"

"Ron was poisoned," Raynea informed him as she folded her lips. She finally allowed herself to look up at him and swallowed a lump in her throat as she did

Draco seemed to get extremely tense once she had mentioned Ron's condition. His eyes widened and he went pale as he tapped his hand against the banister anxiously.

"Please," he scoffed, his tone becoming harsh, "Who the hell would waste their time trying to poison Weasley?"

"It wasn't for Ron," She explained, choosing to ignore his last brutish comment, "The poison was meant for Dumbledore."

Draco became even more uptight at this point and he immediately dropped his arm to his side as he looked down at Raynea with heavy eyes.

"That's odd," he said simply with a shrug. There was a moment of silence where the two just stared at one another. Though, she didn't allow this to last very long. She had to be on her way.

"Yeah, I should probably get going," Raynea told him as she prepared to take her leave.

"Raynea…could we—"

"I really have to go," she interrupted with only a hint of remorse in her voice.

"Right," Draco said rudely as he rolled his eyes, "That's not surprising. Off you go then."

"I'm really—bye," Raynea answered clumsily before taking off down the remainder of the steps.

***

Raynea had been at the Hospital Wing for quite awhile, along with Harry, Hermione and Ginny. Hermione was right at Ron's bedside, looking down at him with a warm smile. Harry, Raynea and Ginny sat towards the end of his bed in a circle and gazed at him as well. He looked especially peaceful, though they weren't sure why. The group merely sat in a comfortable silence and it was quite relaxing for all of them. Though, the serenity soon came to an end when Lavender came bursting through the door with a frantic look on her face. She rushed right up to Ron, pushing by the three congregated at the end of the bed.

"Ron," Lavender began tensely, "I came as soon as I heard." She rushed around to his other side and glared down at Hermione viciously.

"Could you move, please?" she asked edgily, "I should be right by him. I mean, I _am _his girlfriend."

"Alright," Hermione agreed quietly after a short pause.

As Hermione was about to get up, Ron placed his hand upon hers involuntarily and his mouth began to move as a garbled word escaped his lips. They all exchanged looks before returning their attention to Ron, who repeated the word, only this time it was actually audible.

"Hermione."

Harry, Raynea and Ginny all smiled at one another as Hermione stared down at Ron with wide eyes. Lavender's jaw dropped and she backed away slowly as she looked from Ron to Hermione with a horrified expression on her face.

"Well then…" she trailed off bitterly as she circled around the bed and headed out of the Hospital.

Hermione continued to look down upon Ron with a shocked expression on her face as she grabbed his hand and stroked it affectionately. Raynea stood up all of a sudden and turned to Harry and Ginny.

"I think _we _should get going," she suggested with a grin as she gestured to the three of them. Hermione looked up at Raynea with a bright smile as Harry and Ginny also rose from their seats.

"I think you're right," Harry agreed excitedly, heading towards the door with Ginny close behind him.

"See you later, Hermione," Raynea said to her friend as she followed after the other two.

"Bye," Hermione replied, the smile never leaving her face as she turned back to face Ron.

***

On her way back up to the common room, Raynea had separated from Harry and Ginny. They had planned to spend the day at the lake and obviously Raynea wasn't going to take part in their plans. She strolled up the stairs with a smile on her face as she thought about what had just transpired in the Hospital Wing. It appeared as though Ron and Hermione's relationship was going to change a bit, judging from their actions. Raynea was thrilled by this. Ron and Hermione had had feelings for each other for years, and it was about time something came of it. She continued to ponder this cheerfully as she reached the top of the stairs and headed down the corridor. Lately, it seemed as though things were improving a bit. There was still trouble all around, but at least there was some happiness here and there.

Raynea was suddenly torn from her thoughts as someone grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into the adjacent hallway. She gasped in fright and looked up to see who the culprit was. Draco was staring down at her, his hand still gripping her wrist tightly. She wasn't expecting to see him again so soon. Apparently, he really wanted to have a chat.

"Thought I might find you here," Draco said coolly.

"What're you doing?" Raynea inquired breathlessly, still a bit shaken by the way he had gotten her attention.

"We're gonna talk…now," he told her roughly, "Whether you want to or not."

"I had to go to the Hospital before," Raynea reminded him as her tone suddenly became defensive. Obviously, he was annoyed that she had blown him off earlier, but she didn't have a choice. She would've talked with him…eventually…maybe…

"Well, you don't seem to be busy at the moment, so let's get to it then, shall we?" Draco said with an eyebrow raise.

"What?" Raynea asked pointedly as she looked around the hallway desperately. She hoped no one was around and was relieved to see that they were alone. She didn't intend to have an encounter with Draco Malfoy out in the open for everyone to see.

"What do you mean 'what'?" he demanded gruffly, narrowing his eyes, "You know what. You're not that bloody dimwitted."

"Malfoy—"

"Why did you stay with me?" Draco interrupted, his tone softening a little, though his expression was still hard, "In the Astronomy Tower…why did you stay?"

Raynea ripped her wrist from his grasp and crossed her arms before shrugging.

"I dunno."

"Don't give me that," Draco stated severely as he took a step closer to her, "You may be able to deny everything when you throw yourself at me, but this was different."

"I do _not _throw myself at you," Raynea exclaimed, all her irritation finally coming through.

"Are you even bloody listening?" Draco questioned irately, "Last night was…different."

"How so?"

"You actually…" he paused for a moment and licked his lips in frustration, "You showed me affection for the first time since you've known me."

"That wasn't affection, Malfoy. That was pity."

"Are you mad?"

"No, but you must be if you think I'm gonna have this conversation with you," Raynea told him angrily.

"You care about me," Draco insisted menacingly.

"I felt bad for you, I really did. I don't know what was wrong with you, but I felt bad. That doesn't mean I have feelings for you," Raynea shot back.

"How can you still lie about this after everything? I'm not an idiot. I know what's going on here," he said heatedly.

"No, you really don't."

"You want me, Raynea," Draco yelled furiously, "and that is a bleeding fact."

"No, Malfoy—"

"Draco," he corrected as he stepped even closer to her.

"Malfoy."

"Draco."

"Malfoy."

"Draco."

"Malfoy."

"Just kiss me, you bitch," he said harshly as he grabbed the sides of her head and planted a strong kiss against her lips. He pushed away from her with such force that she staggered back a few feet. Raynea looked up at him with angry tears in her eyes before walking up to him and kissing him on the lips gently. She pulled away for a moment, but kept his forehead against hers.

"I guess we're back to square one," he said quietly yet irritably.

"Yeah…" Raynea agreed as tears fell down her face, "Looks that way."

***

Draco entered the Slytherin common room and passed through it in a flash before heading into his dormitory. He immediately plopped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling with an infuriated yet tired expression on his face. Everything that had happened over the last few days left him feeling frustrated…and depressed. When it came to his latest confrontation to Raynea, he wasn't quite sure what to think. She cared about him; he knew it to be true. The moment they had had in the Astronomy Tower was more than enough proof. He just wondered how Raynea could still continue to deny it.

At least they had regained their previous 'relationship.' Draco was still furious, but he felt satisfaction in knowing that he had her in some way. Her involvement with him was beyond an attraction, and he knew it. Though, it seemed like she would never admit it and Draco was done trying to make her. He was just glad for the small tie that he had to her.

In terms of his mission, he felt like an utter failure. Ron had been poisoned instead of Dumbledore and now it was apparent that someone had it in for the professor. Draco didn't want the poison to finish Dumbledore off, but he wasn't interested in the alternative outcome either. He figured he would have to rely on the Vanishing Cabinet in the end. It was his only option.

***

Ron was good as new once Monday rolled around. He was able to return to the Gryffindor Tower and attend all his classes. However, a few things had changed while he was indisposed and he was still adjusting. He was surprised yet relieved when he learned that he and Lavender were no longer an item. She had blatantly ignored him since his return and shot him dirty looks during meals and class. Ron should've been more bothered by this, but he was truly content with the way things had turned out. He was even more excited to learn that he and Hermione were speaking again. Though, Ron wasn't sure why she had suddenly changed her mind. He informed his friends that he had no recollection of what had happened during his hospital stay, and Hermione was quite upset by this.

"I can't believe it," she stated with a hint of annoyance in her voice as she and Raynea lounged in their dormitory the following Friday.

"I know," Raynea agreed as she rolled her eyes, "At least he's finally rid of Lavender."

"That's true," Hermione said, shrugging and staring down at her hands sadly, "I suppose it doesn't matter. It's not like I should've expected anything to come of it."

"Hermione, he made it pretty clear what his feelings were," Raynea reminded her with raised eyebrows, "I would've been surprised if you didn't have expectations."

"I guess…"

Raynea gazed ahead for a moment before she gasped in realization. She stood up abruptly and turned away from Hermione with a pained expression.

"What is it, Raynea?"

"I have to go," Raynea responded shakily, facing her friend once again.

"Why?" Hermione questioned with a furrowed brow.

"I…uh…I have to get something from the library," she said quickly.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"That's okay...I'll go on my own."

"It's just as well. I have to get to work on some of these assignments. I've been so behind with Ron's recovery and everything," Hermione explained with a sigh.

"I understand," Raynea stated, forcing a smile, "I'll see you at dinner."

"Bye," Hermione said kindly as Raynea headed for the door.

Once she had exited the dormitory, Raynea felt all her emotions overcome her. She had to lie—again. She hated herself for all that she'd done lately, she truly did. Though, that didn't stop her.

***

Draco shoved Raynea against the wall roughly before pressing his mouth onto hers with force. She grabbed the back of his neck tightly with one of her hands while the other rested upon his shoulder. He became even more aggressive as he gripped Raynea's arms and pushed his lips onto hers until her mouth was nearly numb. After a few moments, Raynea broke the exchange and tore herself from his grasp. She stepped out of reach and paced forward before crossing her arms over her chest.

"There a problem?" Draco asked in annoyance as he rolled his eyes, "You didn't seem to mind what was going on here a minute ago."

"It's nothing," Raynea said, shaking her head rapidly, "It's just…"

"Bloody hell," he stated, "Alright, what's going on in your warped mind this time?"

"My mind isn't warped, you git," she answered haughtily.

"No, not at all," he responded sarcastically.

"Do you want me to talk, or not?"

"Fine, say your bloody piece."

Raynea ignored his impatience and sighed heavily as her eyes softened.

"This whole thing just feels wrong," she told him quietly.

"This again…brilliant," he said acidly as he crossed his arms.

"I keep lying to everyone…to my friends… and…you're still with Pansy."

Draco gave her a puzzled look before taking a few steps towards her.

"That's where your wrong," he began conceitedly, "Little bint broke off it with me. Said I wasn't paying her enough attention. Her loss…and your gain, if you want it to be."

"No, thanks," Raynea answered with narrowed eyes before addressing him with a softer expression, "Well, I'm sorry that she ended it."

"I'm not," Draco told her with a shrug, "I don't care about her."

"Then why did you date her?"

"Things don't always work out that way," he explained nonchalantly yet cockily, "Sometimes you're not with the person you want to be with…not really anyway."

Draco stared at her pointedly and smirked while Raynea merely rolled her eyes.

"Just shut up," she said in disgust.

"You'll be a tremendous help in that capacity," he replied with an eyebrow raise as he grabbed her by the hands and forced his mouth on top of hers.

***

About a month passed, and things hadn't changed much. Raynea continued her strange involvement with Draco Malfoy and grew guiltier by the day. Since she also had to lie to Hermione now, she felt even worse for what she was doing. However, she always went back. Every time she swore to herself or to Malfoy that she would end it, she never did. Raynea knew she was weak because of this, but it didn't stop her either. After awhile, she began to seriously doubt that she was merely attracted to Malfoy. Though, she never allowed herself to live in doubt for very long. She always tried her best to push the thought out of her mind. He was still under the impression that Raynea was in denial, but she continued to refute this. However, a small part of her was starting to think that he was right—but she would never tell him that. She would die first.

There was still no word from Aurora _or _Luke and Raynea was panicking. She wasn't quite sure what to think of this. For all she knew, things were just fine and she was freaking out for no reason. Though, she couldn't be entirely sure. She decided to send Luke another letter to see if that would get some sort of response. Raynea kept up hope. She couldn't assume anything until she knew the truth.

In other news, Raynea noticed that Harry and Ginny's relationship had become even more strained lately. They hardly spent any time together, and when they did, it usually resulted in a fight. This prompted Harry to hang around with Ron, Hermione and Raynea just like he once had. Though, things between Raynea and Harry still weren't quite patched up. The circumstances were better, but not ideal or in any way like they used to be.

No progress had been made in terms of Ron and Hermione. Hermione and Raynea had been filled with false hope. However, the fact that their friendship was back to normal was definitely a plus. Hermione had no real complaints. She was content…for the time being. Excluding the minor awkwardness between Harry and Raynea, things, in terms of friendships, were basically back to normal.

For Draco, things only grew more complicated. He had been working with the Vanishing Cabinet as often as he possibly could and no one seemed to have any suspicion towards him—except Harry Potter. This was to be expected, seeing as Harry and Draco hated one another, so Draco wasn't too, too concerned. He was pretty successful in his evasive maneuvers. Though, he was still a bit worried. As far as everything else relating to his mission was concerned, Draco was completely stressed out. Yes, he had made progress with the Vanishing Cabinet, but he was still under a huge amount of pressure. He was running out of time. Ultimately, he wasn't even sure he could bring himself to kill someone. However, his own life was at stake. He had no choice.

Raynea didn't seem to have any suspicion towards him whatsoever. The only thing that would even give her the idea that something was going on with him was that he looked more worn by the day. Draco had grown a bit thinner, paler and appeared more exhausted. Luckily for him, Raynea didn't ever bring this up with him. He was sure she noticed, but she never said anything. He wished she would just admit her feelings for him already. He knew she cared about him, so he found no need for her keep lying to him—or herself.

Draco was still glad to have her, despite his frustration. She was still helpful in offering him unintentional comfort and he found that his feelings for her grew stronger everyday. Though, the moment they had had in the Astronomy Tower was the only real tender exchange that they ever had. Since their strange reunion, all they did was argue and snog. However, they occasionally acted civil towards once another, which was definitely a plus.

One Saturday, Draco and Raynea had arranged to 'meet up' in the library. No one would be there since it was the day of a Hogsmeade trip. Both of them decided to sit this one out and take advantage of the absence of most of the student population. After they had been snogging for quite awhile, Raynea separated herself from Draco, much to his annoyance.

"What's your damage, McCoy?" he asked rudely as Raynea stared up at him with a pensive expression on her face. There was a small pause before she addressed him.

"When did you know?" Raynea inquired curiously.

"Know what?"

"When did you know…that you liked me?"

"Er—I dunno," Draco replied as he squirmed around nervously.

"Come on, Malfoy," she insisted, picking up on his sudden tension.

"Why do you even want to bloody know?" he demanded irritably.

"I just wanna know," she stated.

"Dammit…" Draco trailed off as he sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair, "I dunno…it was in our fifth year."

"When specifically?"

"What? Do you want the bloody time of day?" he questioned in frustration.

"I'm just wondering what made you realize it. I just wanna know how you figured it out," Raynea said, trying to hold back her exasperation.

"It just sort of…clicked, I guess," he explained with a shrug, "I mean, why would I waste all my time following you around if I didn't like it on some level? I hated you so much…it just…"

Raynea could tell that he was uncomfortable, so she decided to let that matter drop. Besides, she figured it wasn't that important, though she was still curious.

"You done interrogating me now?" Draco asked harshly as he rolled his eyes.

"Sorry," Raynea apologized with only a little anger in her voice.

"Doesn't matter."

There was a short period where they merely stared at each other, both wearing solemn expressions on their faces. Suddenly, Draco approached her slowly and grabbed either one of her hands gently. Raynea furrowed her brow as her jaw dropped slightly.

"What're you doing?"

"Relax," he said severely as he inched closer to her face.

Draco kissed Raynea softly on the lips. After all the times they had snogged, this would seem to mean absolutely nothing. However, Draco had never made any attempt to be gentle with her. He was quite rough usually, and even bordered on violent sometimes. Though, this exchange was different. It was affectionate rather than animalistic. Raynea actually found it to be…sweet.

The two pulled away from each other, but Draco kept her hands in his grasp. The look on his face was oddly sour and he appeared as though he was thinking deeply about something. Raynea simply looked back at him for a moment before noticing a figure in the corner of her eye. She swiftly turned her head and saw that Neville Longbottom was standing at the end of the aisle with a book in his hand and a terrified expression on his face. Raynea immediately dropped Draco's hands and stepped away from him as Neville continued to stare in shock.

"Neville…" she began as her stomach jerked.

"I-I'm sorry," he answered clumsily, beginning to back away, "I-I…uh…s-sorry."

With that, Neville was gone. Raynea was shaking violently once he was out of sight. She couldn't believe that someone had seen her with Draco Malfoy. She was both shocked and horrified.

"Bloody hell," Raynea said nervously as she clutched her stomach, "He saw us. I don't believe it…"

"Who gives a damn?" Draco scoffed, crossing his arms, "It's just Longbottom, like he'll tell anyone."

"You don't know that," she stated with wide eyes, "No one can know about this."

"Hey, it's not like I want to broadcast it to the whole bloody world," he reminded her gruffly, "I've got more to lose, here."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm a Slytherin, Raynea. Do you know how pathetic it would look if I was seen with a Gryffindor?"

"Almost as pathetic as it would look if I was seen with you," Raynea shot back sharply.

"What makes you say that?"

"Uh…you're Malfoy. You're a bastard," she answered pointedly.

"Ooh, not very friendly, are we? At least not as friendly as you were not five minutes ago," he said arrogantly with a smirk.

"Go to hell," Raynea stated, glaring at him and heading towards the library's exit.

"Where do you think you're going, bint?" Draco demanded angrily.

She ignored his last question before heading out into the hallway. As she looked in either direction, Raynea realized that Neville was long gone. She inhaled uneasily and made her way to the Gryffindor tower. She had to find him.

***

Raynea burst into the Gryffindor common room and was relieved when she saw Neville sitting in front of the fire place. He still had the same frightened look upon his face as he attempted to read the book that was resting in his lap. Raynea approached him carefully before taking a seat beside him on the couch. Neville glanced up at her with wide eyes, then immediately returned his gaze to his book.

"Neville, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked desperately.

"Sure," he answered sheepishly, continuing to evade her eyes.

"I know what you must think of me right now…" Raynea trailed off as her voice started to break, "I'm so, so sorry, Neville. I didn't mean for you to…"

"You don't have to apologize, Raynea," he told her awkwardly, "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… interrupted you."

"No," she began as she shook her head rapidly, "No—I'm—just…please don't say anything. Please, don't say anything to anyone."

Raynea tried to control her emotions, but tears coated her eyes. She started breathing heavily and looked at Neville with pleading eyes. She was so sorry that he had to see her like that, and she was simply ashamed.

"I won't tell anyone, Raynea," Neville assured her, offering her a small smile, "I promise…I won't say anything."

"Thank you," she said breathlessly as she exhaled deeply, "Thank you so much. I'm really, really sorry."

"It's okay," he said kindly, though his expression contradicted his words.

"No it's not," she stated weakly.

"No, really…but…er…if you don't mind me saying, I thought you and Malfoy hated each other."

Raynea smiled wistfully yet sadly as she turned to face the fire.

"So did I."

***

That evening, Raynea headed down to dinner a bit late in the hopes of running into Draco. He always arrived to meals a little on the late side, so she tried to plan her time perfectly. She was fortunate to see him just before he entered the Great Hall. She patted him on the arm and beckoned him towards the hallway. Draco rolled his eyes as he saw her and followed behind her slowly.

"What do you want?" he asked impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I…uh…I wanted to apologize for this afternoon," Raynea told him without looking him in the eyes.

"Why in bleeding hell would you wanna do that?" Draco said roughly.

"I shouldn't have said all those things…" she began remorsefully, "I was acting like…"

"A bitch?" Draco suggested pointedly as he raised his eyebrows.

"Basically," Raynea answered, a tad reluctant to agree with his exact terminology, "And I was…wrong."

Draco looked quite taken aback as she said this. His eyes widened for a moment and he allowed his expression to soften as he gazed upon her.

"Forget it," he said with a shrug, "If we stopped talking every time we treated each other like crap, we'd never bloody speak."

Raynea laughed softly, then folded her lips. He simply looked down at her before rolling his eyes.

"And…maybe I shouldn't have been so—"

"Don't worry about it," she interrupted, clearing her throat uncomfortably.

"Alright, then," Draco said with a slight nod.

There was a short silence and Raynea exhaled before speaking again.

"I guess we should get to dinner."

"We could," he began smugly with a smirk, "Or maybe we—"

"No," Raynea stated quickly, "Not right now. We should get in there."

"As you bloody wish," Draco muttered in annoyance before turning to enter the Great Hall.

Raynea stared after him with a small smile on her face.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews!! I love when you tell me what you think about things! So, I'm hoping this chapter kicks ass. Like seriously, I hope it's really good. I'm not sure...once again, the option for a rewrite is out there. Just let me know. Please, please, please leave a review!! Thanks a ton!!! :) **

Another week had passed and it was nearly April by this time. Raynea had been extremely careful to make sure that no one else learned of her involvement with Draco. Despite the shame she felt when Neville became aware of her situation, she was somewhat relieved. At least someone else knew about it, so the burden was slightly less heavy. Also, Neville was an especially kind person and had kept his promise to Raynea. He hadn't told a soul. Though, in her heart, Raynea knew the circumstances made him uncomfortable. She couldn't blame him. Her predicament was quite strange.

As far as things with Draco went, there were some small improvements. The two had been more civil to one another lately and they were even nice to each other on rare occasions. Raynea wasn't exactly sure what this meant, but she didn't question it. Things were calm for the time being, and she was glad for this. However, this changed rather quickly.

One evening, dinner was particularly odd. Harry had chosen to sit with Ron, Hermione and Raynea that night and was a bit on the quiet side. The other three found this to be odd, but didn't voice their concern aloud. They weren't exactly sure what was going on. Things started to clear up once Ginny entered the Great Hall. She walked in rather slowly with her arms at her sides and a sharp expression on her face. It was obvious that she had been crying, for her nose was red and her eyes were glassy. She sat towards the end of the table, far away from the group of four. Raynea furrowed her brow at this and turned to exchange looks with Ron and Hermione as Harry continued to pick at his food in silence. Ron glanced at Ginny one final time before glaring at Harry suspiciously.

"What the bloody hell did you do to my sister?" he questioned, his tone filled with both humor and anger.

"Nothing," Harry answered with a shrug, "I dunno what she's going on about."

"Are you sure because—" Raynea began curiously.

"I said I don't know, Raynea," he snapped before looking down at his plate.

The others looked at each other with wide eyes and merely ate their meal in a tense silence. The remainder of dinner was painfully awkward and Raynea was relieved when it was over. The four strolled out of the Great Hall quietly before Hermione spoke up.

"I have to be heading off to the library. I…uh…need a book for…" she trailed off in search of a proper excuse.

"Ancient Runes," Ron supplied for her with feigned confidence.

"Yes, Ancient Runes," Hermione agreed with a grin as she started off towards the library.

"Yeah, and I should go with her…you know…for protection," Ron declared as his eyes widened and he followed after Hermione.

"See you two later," they called in unison, disappearing from sight.

Raynea didn't blame them for leaving. Harry was being quite a git. Though, she didn't appreciate having to be stuck alone with him if he was going to be so moody. They merely walked without speaking for awhile. Harry seemed extremely deep in thought and Raynea kept her gaze on the path ahead. She wasn't going to push him if he didn't want to talk. Soon after that, Harry stopped suddenly and Raynea turned to face him. They were standing in the hallway, a little off to the side so that the few students around them could pass. She gave him a puzzled look.

"Harry, what're you doing?" Raynea asked curiously.

"I need to talk to you," he stated with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Okay…but we could always just talk in the common room," Raynea pointed out, smiling at his unusual behavior.

"No…I just need to talk to you."

"Alright," she said with a shrug, "What's on your mind?" There was a short pause where Harry simply opened his mouth, but no words came out. He sighed heavily and looked down at his feet before glancing back up at her.

"I broke up with Ginny," Harry told her quietly.

"Oh…" Raynea trailed off, taken aback by his news.

"Yeah…sorry I snapped at you earlier…I was just…"

He shook his head in frustration and exhaled. He seemed really uncomfortable about something; Raynea just wasn't sure what it was exactly.

"…upset," she suggested after a bit more silence.

"Yeah," Harry responded with a nod, "…but not just because of Ginny…"

"Did something else happen?" she inquired in concern.

"No, it's not that. I just…I made a huge mistake."

"You regret breaking up with her?"

"This isn't about Ginny, Rayne," Harry verified, "It's about you."

"…huh?" she asked confusedly. Raynea honestly had no idea what he was going on about. She had a bad feeling in her stomach, though.

"All these months…I kept pushing you away."

"No, Harry," Raynea began, "I'm the one that said we shouldn't be friends, but we are now. That's all that matters."

"I'm ready," Harry said suddenly, ignoring her last statement.

"You're…ready?" Raynea repeated uneasily, "For what?"

"You and me. I finally realized…I've been wrong. I'm ready now, though. I wasn't…before, but you can count on me now."

"What?" Raynea demanded with wide eyes, "Harry…"

"Last term, when I said I wasn't ready for any sort of relationship…what I really meant was that I wasn't ready for a relationship with _you_."

"What makes now any different?"

"I dunno…" Harry trailed off as he cast his eyes downwards, "I just know that, I'm ready for things to move forward."

Raynea inhaled sharply and felt as though she could scream. After everything that had happened, Harry was ready for a relationship _now_? She looked up at him with a troubled expression and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I told you that I wouldn't wait for you," she reminded him in a soft voice.

"I know, but you're not seeing anyone," he answered pointedly.

Raynea froze as all the air left her lungs. Things were about to get very interesting.

"Technically…no," she admitted.

"Right. So, what's the problem?"

"Harry…how could you tell me all this now?"

"I just sorted it all out. I know that I blew it earlier, but I wanna fix things."

"Harry…" she said desperately as she looked around the hall anxiously. Raynea wasn't quite sure what to say. She still had some feelings for Harry, but it wasn't enough to be in a relationship with him…not anymore. She wondered why her feelings towards Harry had nearly disappeared. What was holding her back? Suddenly, everything clicked. Raynea opened her mouth in realization as her eyes widened. She clutched her stomach in shock and felt like she could faint.

"Oh, bloody hell," she cursed aloud.

"What is it?" Harry inquired.

"Nothing…" Raynea replied, shaking her head rapidly. She could only address one issue at a time. Harry stared down at her with pleading eyes and a look of hope on his face. Raynea was full of all sorts of emotions. It was hard to deal with this. However, the situation was made worse when she saw Draco strolling down the corridor. She knew he wouldn't say anything to her, but seeing him at this point was not helping her much. Raynea continued to stare at him as he passed and he merely offered her a piercing glare. She furrowed her brow once he was out of sight and tried to return her attention to Harry.

"What's wrong, Raynea?"

"Harry…" she said after awhile, "How could you do all this now? Why now? So much time has passed...so many things about me have…changed."

"You seem the same to me," Harry told her kindly.

"No," Raynea stated as she shook her head, "No…"

"I really want this, Rayne. I know, it seems completely mad after all this time—"

"I can't."

"What?"

"It's too late, Harry," Raynea explained with a pained look, "This can't happen."

Harry plainly gazed at her, his eyes unblinking. He seemed to be confused and hurt, among other things.

"I'm sorry," she said after some time had passed, "I'm really sorry."

He nodded before taking off down the hallway, leaving Raynea to just stare after him. She didn't know what else she could possibly say. It was better for her to tell him the truth…well, her version of the truth, then let some sort of relationship ensue. She cared about Harry, she truly did. She knew that there was more between them then just friendship. It was hard to let him go, but it would've been even harder to try to force something that just wasn't there anymore. As Harry tried his best to convince her to give him a second chance, all Raynea could think about was Draco.

Draco…it was Draco. For the past few months, it had always been Draco. She couldn't believe what an idiot she'd been. She also couldn't believe that she had been wrong, and Draco had been right.

***

The following morning, Raynea woke up terrified to face the day ahead of her. Not only would she have to deal with the aftermath of her conversation with Harry, but she also had to adjust to the recent emotional discovery she had made. She basically had to drag herself to the Great Hall for breakfast, but was relieved to see that she had arrived before Harry and Ron. However, they showed up shortly after her. Surprisingly, the boys approached her as though everything was completely normal and took their seats across from her. Raynea assumed that Harry hadn't told Ron anything about their encounter from the night before. She figured this was a good thing. The less awkwardness, the better. Hermione joined them soon after they sat down and the four enjoyed an ordinary breakfast together. It was nice. They hadn't all just talked and joked together in a very long time. Raynea had serious doubts about whether or not Harry would spend any time with her outside of a group dynamic. This bothered her, but she tried to ignore it. Even if their friendship was still a bit tense, at least the four of them were together again. That's what really counted.

After breakfast, Ron and Hermione split from the group, leaving Harry and Raynea alone. This would truly test what Raynea was fretting about earlier in the morning. Fortunately, she had been worrying for no reason. She and Harry walked and talked together much like they had in the past. It wasn't exactly the same, for it was a tad uncomfortable, but not nearly as bad as either one of them would've imagined. Raynea allowed herself to relax about this particular situation once Harry had headed off to his first lesson. Things between her friends were okay now, and she was so glad for this. However, once that was taken care of, Raynea's worry was redirected elsewhere. Something—well, someone was causing her a lot of grief that day.

"_Dammit Malfoy…_" she thought bitterly.

***

Lessons had ended for the day and as Raynea headed back to the common room, she found that she was still thinking about Draco. She wondered if or when she would see him, and hoped that it'd be later rather than sooner. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face him yet. Though, she wouldn't have time to ponder this much further, for she spotted him walking in the direction opposite her. She immediately froze as she saw him and felt her stomach tense up anxiously. Draco noticed her, but kept his gaze straight ahead of him and passed by her with a sour look on his face. Raynea furrowed her brow before turning around and following after him.

"Malfoy...Malfoy!" she panted as she caught up to Draco and patted him on the shoulder to get his attention. He continued walking, much to Raynea's surprise, though she stayed close behind him.

"Could you stop, please?" she asked in frustration, grabbing his arm and turning him around to face her. Draco glared down at her with heavy eyes; His dark circles were so prominent on his face, that it startled her for a moment.

"What?" he demanded brutishly.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a second," Raynea said quietly, scared by his vicious countenance.

"No one's stopping you," he stated gruffly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"…Are you okay?" Raynea questioned with concern as she further studied his face. He was so pale… and thin. He appeared to be extremely tired, too. She had noticed that he had been looking especially worn lately, but this was the worst of it.

"I'm fine," Draco snapped, "Will you just get to it so I can get away from you?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he said through gritted teeth.

"You're acting…odd."

"If you're not gonna talk, then I'm leaving," Draco announced sternly as he turned to walk away.

"Stop," Raynea commanded, pulling his arm to keep him in place.

"Bugger off. Why don't you just go run off to Potter if you're so desperate to have a bloody conversation?"

"What does Harry have to do with this?" she inquired with a puzzled expression.

"I saw you and that git together last night," Draco told her harshly, "Looks like you finally got who you wanted, McCoy. Lucky you."

"What're you talking about?"

"You're Potter's whore now," he stated fiercely, "And if that's what you want, then fine. Be together. Have a nice bloody life."

"You're mad because you think I'm with Harry?"

"Of course I'm mad, you stupid bitch. You toss me around for awhile to satisfy your bloody needs, until you finally get to be with the ruddy 'chosen one.' That's just spectacular," Draco ranted acidly, "So I guess I'll just be on my merry way."

"Malfoy…stop," Raynea exclaimed desperately, "I'm not with Harry."

"Please," he scoffed, "I told you, I saw you and Potter together yesterday. I'm not an idiot."

"Yes, you are," Raynea said, "I am _not _with Harry."

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"He wanted us to be together, but I let him go," she explained softly.

"What?" Draco demanded severely.

"I told him no," Raynea said.

"Why in bleeding hell would you do something like that?"

"You know why," she told him calmly as she stared at him with a pointed look on her face.

"What?" he asked, shaking his head in shock. Draco was having trouble comprehending what she was trying to say.

"You know why…Draco."

He simply gazed at her with wide eyes and stood there, still as a statue. Raynea folded her lips and continued to look up at him. Draco's surprised expression suddenly became a smirk as he took a step closer to her.

"About bloody time," he said smoothly.

**(Another) Author's Note: So, I really, really, really hope you liked it! If the moment was anti climactic, then...dang. I hope it was unexpected and awesome, though I have my doubts. Please, please, please leave a review and let me know what you thought!! It's really important, like for real. Thanks so much!! :) **


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews!! I am so glad that you liked it!! I was hoping the moment was good and I'm just really relieved that it was well liked. Hopefully, Raynea is less annoying/off people's hit lists. I think she's less irritating now that she's out of denial...well, i hope so anyway. The story gets way more action packed and sad from here! It's kinda winding down, too. There's probably about 7-10 chapters left, if I had to guess. Anyway, just wanted to tell you some things to look out for. I hope this update is satisfactory! Please leave a review, if possible. Thanks so, so much!!! :) **

"So…what now?" Raynea asked as she exhaled deeply.

The smirk remained on Draco's face as he looked at her pointedly. She knew what he had in mind.

"I dunno," she said with doubt in her voice, "Can you imagine what it would be like if we were…actually…"

"No," he told her, seeming as though the uncertainty was pleasing to him.

"We'd fight all the time," Raynea pointed out.

"Yeah," Draco agreed as his smirk grew.

"We'd drive each other crazy."

"Oh, most definitely," he stated arrogantly.

"You'll be a stubborn ass."

"Of course," he said with growing cockiness, "So will you."

"We might end up killing each other."

"Probably," Draco verified smugly as he came close to her, "The real question is, do you think you can handle me, McCoy?"

"I'm not worried about me," Raynea answered, smiling brightly, "I'd worry more about myself if I were you, Draco."

He continued to smirk as he bent down and kissed Raynea roughly. She wrapped her arms around neck and pulled him closer.

***

Raynea returned to the Gryffindor tower feeling a strange mixture of emotions. In a way, she was actually happy. She knew that she wouldn't have a typical relationship with Draco and she was quite aware that it would be nothing like the sort of relationship she would have if she was with Harry, but that's what made the whole thing rather exciting. However, there were drawbacks. For one thing, the relationship would still remain a secret. Despite the fact that Raynea had discovered her true feelings for him, she was still ashamed of being with Draco. He seemed a bit reluctant to conceal their relationship, which she found odd considering he was usually all for keeping it secret, but he eventually agreed. Also, Raynea knew that it wouldn't be a sweet romance. That's not who either one of them were. As she had said, they would probably fight constantly and part of her was afraid of him, but she didn't care anymore. Having her feelings buried for so long had been a burden, and it was nice to finally be out of denial.

Raynea still felt guilty about having to sneak around, though. She would have to continue to lie to her friends and make up a bunch of excuses. This truly bothered her. The guilt was overwhelming…but so were her feelings for Draco. It was strange for her to finally understand how he had felt all this time. There was so much tension and hate between them, but it had somehow turned into feelings. It was odd. She felt like all her emotions were so strong at the moment. Raynea was happy and she was excited, but on the flip side, she was terrified, guilty and anxious. It was quite a lot to handle…but then again, so was Draco.

He was having a similar spread of feelings. Draco was rather triumphant. He had finally hooked Raynea after all this time. He knew things wouldn't be perfect, in fact they would probably be awful most of the time, but that didn't matter. He knew what he wanted and he had finally gotten it. However, Draco had a lot of problems to face. In spite of the excited smugness he had felt towards his latest accomplishment, he was stressed beyond belief about his mission…and what it would do to his relationship with Raynea. Things were already complicated, but it was destined to get worse from here. Draco had been successful in being evasive when he wasn't in an official relationship, but now that he was, he foresaw definite issues.

What if he became distracted from what he was chosen to do? He couldn't let that happen, for his life was on the line. Not to mention the fact that Raynea was on the opposing side. She was best friends with Harry Potter and his posse, after all. Plus, if she learned of what he was, what would she say? He was a Death Eater and that was bound to cause a strain between them—well, more of a strain than there already was. However, Draco convinced himself that things would work out in his favor. He wouldn't allow himself to become too distracted; he hadn't so far. Though, once he fulfilled his destiny, what would happen then? Or what if Raynea learned what he was doing and told Harry? There were too many questions and doubts in Draco's mind. He couldn't even focus on his satisfaction. He was so concerned about all things related to his mission that he didn't even care if people found out about him and Raynea. In fact, he preferred not to keep it a secret anymore. He had to conceal so many other things about himself; He could hardly bear to hide something that actually made him happy. So few things did that lately.

***

A few days had passed, and it had been even harder to deal with her new relationship than Raynea had imagined. Keeping an actual romantic relationship a secret was much harder than trying to conceal a fling that had no deeper meaning. Yes, things were definitely much harder. Plus, Raynea hated that she couldn't share this new piece of information with Harry, Ron and Hermione. She so desperately wanted to tell them…but, ironically, she didn't want them to know. It was strange. She was too ashamed of herself to clue anybody in. Draco was frustrated by this. Obviously, the secret was weighing on him. Also, the two didn't really get to see each other much. Draco was always busy doing something, but Raynea wasn't quite sure what. When she was actually with him, she wasn't happy exactly, but she was okay with this. Happiness wasn't what she needed. They still fought and bickered constantly and this was all right. They were both content.

However, Draco had been especially moody the past few days. He looked ridiculously exhausted and seemed to be stressed out continuously. Raynea was a bit concerned about him—something that still freaked her out, but she could actually admit it to herself now.

"Are you okay?" she asked him with a puzzled expression on her face. They had been snogging out by the lake one Saturday. Obviously, no one was around. Draco seemed extremely tense and was sensitive to her touch. Anytime she would go near him, he would squirm reluctantly or pull away from her. Raynea found this to be unusual.

"I'm fine," Draco answered briefly as he looked down at her with heavy eyes.

"You're sure as hell not acting like it," Raynea pointed out.

"Will you lay off?" he said harshly, turning his back on her.

"I'm worried…." Raynea trailed off. Admitting this sort of thing out loud still discomfited her.

"…about me," Draco supplied for her. Raynea walked in front of him so that he would have to look at her and stared at him sharply.

"Yes."

"Don't be. It's a waste of your bloody time," Draco told her angrily.

"Alright, well sorry that I actually…" she trailed off again with a sarcastic tone.

"…care about me," Draco suggested smugly, raising his eyebrows.

"Just shut up," she said in disgust as she shook her head.

They merely gazed at one another for a moment and eventually Raynea laughed softly.

"It's sorta funny how we are with each other," she told him.

"Funny…definitely not the word I would've chosen," Draco stated dryly as he rolled his eyes.

"Can you stop being such an asshole, please?"

"I'll bloody try," he grunted in annoyance before pulling her by the arm and kissing her on the forehead forcefully.

"Well, it's the thought that counts," Raynea said acidly as she raised her eyebrows in frustration.

***

Another few days had gone by, and Draco's mood still hadn't improved much. Raynea was growing more concerned about him, but continued to have trouble expressing it. He looked dead almost. His expression was tired and his eyes still had dark circles below them. His appearance definitely matched the way he was acting.

When Draco acted particularly gruff, Raynea felt even more guilt for being with him. She could imagine what her friends would say about her relationship with him. They would all be adamant in telling her what a huge mistake she was making and they would say that Draco treated her like crap—which was true, but they didn't know him the way she did. He had other sides, though his dark one was the most prominent.

Raynea felt herself drifting from her friends over the past few days and this truly bothered her. She felt torn in every direction and she felt pressure from Draco to tell them the truth. He was sick of sneaking around. He didn't have to prove himself to anyone. Raynea found his sudden change of heart to be peculiar, and definitely did not follow in his footsteps. She was still ashamed and still desperate to keep their entire involvement a secret. Neville knew, but he was the only one, and she intended to keep it that way.

One day, Raynea and Draco had arranged to meet early in the morning. Most students would still be in their dormitories, so she wouldn't have to worry too much about being seen. Raynea arrived at their designated meeting place and was surprised to see that he was already there. Draco usually showed up after she did. When he turned to face her, he looked even worse than he had over the past few days. Raynea was taken aback by his appearance, and the logical part of her told her not to bring it up. However, she hardly listened to her own reason. She _was_ with Draco Malfoy, after all.

"You look terrible," Raynea said in concern as she approached him.

"Good morning to you, too," Draco responded rudely, rolling his eyes.

"Did you even get to sleep last night?"

"Bloody hell…yes," he told her impatiently.

Raynea reached out cautiously and rested her hand upon the side of his face with a worried expression. He moved his head away uncomfortably and grimaced.

"What is with you?" she demanded.

"Merlin, will you stop going on about this?" he said roughly.

"You've been a real git lately," Raynea informed him angrily.

"Yeah? Good to know," Draco shot back sardonically.

"I'm trying to be…" Yes, it was still quite difficult for Raynea to convey what she felt towards him.

"Nice?" he supplied for her with a small smirk, pulling her against him.

"Yeah, and you might try the same thing…ponce," she said, trying to hold back a smile.

"Just shut up," Draco ordered arrogantly as he pushed her into the wall and attempted to kiss her.

"Stop it, Draco," Raynea said with a laugh, avoiding his mouth jokingly.

"Try and make me, McCoy," Draco answered smugly. He tried even harder to advance her and Raynea continued to dodge him as she chuckled. People would start heading into the hallways soon. It was bound to happen.

"Stop it!...Stop!" she pleaded, both laughing and sounding slightly terrified.

Suddenly, Raynea saw a figure flash by and pull Draco off of her and throw him into the opposite wall. Draco staggered into it with a sour expression on his face and looked over to see who the culprit was. Raynea gazed upon Ron in horror as he went to pummel him. Ron snatched Draco by the shoulder and held his fist back to hit him, but Raynea acted quickly and grasped Ron's arm so he couldn't follow through with his punch.

"Ron, don't!" she exclaimed desperately. He ignored her pleas and glared at Draco menacingly.

"I told you she wasn't bloody interested and you go and force yourself on her?" Ron shouted at him.

"Believe me, it didn't take much force," Draco answered smoothly as he smirked.

"You—" Ron stopped himself from speaking and attempted to beat Draco again, but Raynea tightened her grip on his arm.

"Ron, stop! Don't do it," Raynea said firmly. She stepped in front of him and guided him away from Draco with a distressed look on her face. Draco just gazed upon the scene with an air of superiority and crossed his arms. Raynea glared at him sharply before turning to address Ron.

"Why'd you stop me? And what was he talking about? Tell me what's going on, Rayne," Ron said angrily.

"Yeah, why don't you tell him what's going on, Rayne," Draco suggested mockingly.

"What is he blabbering on about?" Ron demanded, staring at Raynea accusingly.

"Uh…" she trailed off as looked from Ron to Draco anxiously.

"Yeah, Raynea. Go ahead. Clue him in to all the things you've done with me," he stated cockily.

"What? He's lying, isn't he?" Ron asked.

Raynea sighed heavily as tears covered her eyes and she stared at Ron remorsefully.

"Tell him, Raynea," Draco stated, his smirk unflagging.

"He's lying, right?" Ron said persistently.

"No, Weasley. Raynea can fill you in on everything. And I mean, _everything_," Draco told him conceitedly.

"Is it true?" Ron demanded.

Raynea inhaled deeply and tried her best to hold back tears. She was having a hard time, though.

"Ron…I'm so sorry," she said weakly.

"Are you bloody serious?" Ron yelled furiously, backing away from her, "This is what you do when you're gone all the time. You're off with Malfoy."

"You don't understand…"

"No, you're right, I don't," Ron exclaimed heatedly, "And I don't wanna understand."

He glared at her in disgust before taking off down the hallway, leaving Raynea and Draco behind. Raynea felt as though she was about to collapse as angry tears almost leaked from her eyes. She clenched her fists and merely stood there for a moment.

"That didn't go too well," Draco said in amusement.

"Get away from me, Malfoy," Raynea snapped as she gazed at him irately.

"What the—"

"Fine, I'll leave," she stated fiercely before heading out of the corridor.

***

After what had happened in the morning, Raynea was surprised by Ron's actions throughout the day. At breakfast, all four of them still ate together like everything was normal. However, once breakfast had ended, Ron went out of his way to stay away from Raynea, unless they were in the presence of Harry and Hermione. It was odd. It seemed as though he was trying his best to keep the peace between the four of them since it had been so awful over the past few months. It also appeared as though Ron had not informed Harry or Hermione about the latest piece of information he had gathered. Raynea wondered why he had chosen to act this way all day, and finally confronted him in the common room after everyone else had already headed off to bed. They were the last two up, and Raynea was glad to have caught him at the foot of the stairs that led up to their dormitories. When Ron first saw her, he glared at her as though he were sickened and attempted to get past her, but Raynea stopped him.

"Ron, can we please talk?" she asked desperately.

"I have nothing to say," Ron told her with narrowed eyes.

"Please," she begged, "I promise, I'll keep it short."

"Fine," he agreed angrily, taking off towards the couch and plopping down on it before crossing his arms over his chest.

Raynea approached him cautiously and took a seat on the coffee table in front of him. She inhaled sharply and prepared to address him.

"I know that you're probably really mad," she began.

"You think?" Ron questioned irritably with raised eyebrows.

"I'm sorry," Raynea said ruefully, "I'm really, really sorry, Ron."

"Why would you go to him, Raynea? Why Malfoy?" he demanded, seeming both angry and curious.

"He's been there for me…" Raynea explained in a soft voice, "When I really needed him, he was there for me."

"And I wasn't?" Ron asked pointedly.

"You were," she said, "but it's more than that. He cares about me…"

"No, he cares about himself," he shot back.

"He's a git, okay? I know that, but…"

"Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?" Ron insisted in frustration, "I mean, it's Malfoy. We've hated him for years."

"I know," Raynea admitted quietly, "but I can't pretend that I don't feel anything for him."

"You're mad," he said with a look of disgust on his face, "He treats you like dirt, and you bloody like him?"

"It's not like that," Raynea told him urgently.

"When you found out that he was into you, you were terrified, do you remember that?"

"Yes, but—"

"I told him to stay away from you because you said you would never want him. _I thought _you would never want him."

"I know, but—"

"I never thought he could get a girl like you, Raynea," Ron continued as he stared down at his lap angrily.

"I'm sorry," she said in a hushed voice, "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Neither do I," he shot back coldly, "You know, Harry thinks Malfoy's a bloody Death Eater now, and you're running around with him?"

"He _is not _a Death Eater, Ron," Raynea stated firmly, "I would know if he was."

"Maybe you're just blinded by your so-called 'feelings,'" Ron said rudely, standing up and heading towards the staircase, "By the way, I haven't told Harry or Hermione, and I don't plan on it. There's enough going on as it is."

"Ron—"

"Goodnight, Raynea," he replied curtly as he stomped up the stairs.

Raynea stood up for a moment, as if she was about to go to her dormitory. She felt her knees buckle and she collapsed onto the couch as she broke into tears. Everything had gotten so messed up. Ron knew about what she had done, and he basically hated her for it. She couldn't believe that she had let things get so out of control. What she had said before was right, she honestly had no clue what was wrong with her. Ron had a point, Draco did treat her like dirt—but not all the time. There was more to him than that. She knew it to be true. However, Raynea couldn't deny how furious she was with him at the moment. He had been a complete git when it came to the incident with Ron. He acted as if it were the most amusing thing in the world and totally sold her out. She was livid with him…she was livid with herself…she was livid with everything.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Thank you so, so much for the reviews!! So, the last chapter was pretty angsty, I know. It gets way more like that from here on out. I really hope you enjoy this update because it's super drama-packed! Please leave a review! Your feedback is so important! Thanks so, so much!!! :)**

The following day, things did not improve much. Ron continued to be rather cold towards Raynea, though for the benefit of Harry and Hermione, he tried to be as subtle as possible. Raynea was still in quite a fragile emotional state and she still hadn't spoken to Draco since the incident from the day before. In fact, she didn't even see him for a large portion of the day. This was fine with her; she couldn't bear to lay her eyes on him yet. She was infuriated with him. However, Draco would approach her eventually, just like he always did.

Raynea had chosen to read on a bench in one of the outside corridors in the late afternoon. It was too uncomfortable to lounge around in the common room like she usually did. Ron was relentlessly angry and she didn't feel like dealing with it. Getting out of the Gryffindor tower and reading for a bit would hopefully help to take her mind off of things. After a small chunk of time had passed, Raynea had trouble paying attention to the words she was reading. She was tired and rather upset, and her means of escaping the real world were not proving to be effective. Her eyes glazed over as she stared down at the book she was holding loosely in her hands and she felt herself drifting.

Suddenly, Raynea was torn from her disconnected state of mind as her book was snatched from her hands. She looked around in confusion then felt a presence sitting beside her on the bench. Raynea turned her head slowly and wasn't surprised when she saw that Draco was next to her. He clutched her book in his hand tightly and gazed at her with a pointed expression. She felt her anger build up as she looked at him and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Can I help you?" Raynea asked irritably.

"We need to talk," Draco responded with raised eyebrows.

"_We _don't need to do anything," she stated, reaching over to grab her book. Draco held it out of her reach and looked down at her with a grimace.

"I don't think so," he said conceitedly at her attempts to regain her possession, "Will you just listen?"

"Nope," Raynea returned brusquely, standing up and making her way down the hall. He jumped up and started to follow after her closely.

"We're not gonna do this again, are we?" Draco asked smoothly. It was a tad ironic how their relationship seemed to come full circle.

"Just back off, Malfoy," Raynea snapped as she turned a corner sharply.

"Back to that too, eh?" he questioned haughtily.

"Did you not hear the part where I said 'back off'?"

"Oh, I heard you. I just chose not to listen," Draco replied with a smirk.

"Well, I'm choosing not to listen to you," she said in frustration.

"Will you just give me a bloody chance?" he demanded irately, gripping her arm firmly and spinning her around to face him.

"To do what? Act like a jackass. Looks like you've already accomplished that. Okay, goodbye," Raynea shot back. She attempted to break free of him, but Draco merely tightened his grasp on her arm.

"Will you just listen, bint?" he said fiercely, "Merlin, you're the thickest person I've ever met."

"Yeah, I've heard."

"Just shut your mouth for a second and let me do the talking, okay?"

"Make it quick, asshole."

"No need to get so friendly," Draco said sarcastically.

"Talk if you're gonna talk," Raynea exclaimed.

Draco delayed for a moment to get his anger in check. He released her arm and looked down at her as his expression softened slightly. However, his irritation still came through a little.

"Look, I know you're all pissed off because Weasley knows about us," he began as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, because you didn't make matters worse or anything," she told him acidly.

"I'm trying to apologize, you dumb whore," Draco nearly yelled.

Raynea gazed at him, somewhat shocked. Draco Malfoy was trying to apologize to her…this did not compute. Whether or not they were together, Raynea was certain she would never hear an apology come out of Draco.

"Oh…" she trailed off quietly. He straightened up and took a deep breath before addressing her again.

"I shouldn't have said all those things," Draco admitted, raising his eyebrows in annoyance, "I suppose I did make the whole bloody ordeal more complicated…I'm…"

Raynea noticed that he struggled to actually utter the words 'I'm sorry.' She smiled softly and sighed.

"It's okay," she told him.

"No, it's not really," Draco said harshly. It seemed that his gruff tone was more directed at himself at this point, "How pissed is Weasley, anyway?"

"He's pretty angry," Raynea informed him resignedly, "I dunno if he'll ever forgive me."

"What's to bloody forgive? You didn't do anything wrong," Draco stated roughly.

"Being with you…is wrong…"

"But you like it," he said smugly. He started to inch towards her face, but Raynea backed away as she looked at the surrounding corridor.

"There's people around," she pointed out, clearing her throat awkwardly.

"Right," Draco answered angrily with a nod before taking a step back, "Gotta keep up the act."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Whatever," he replied as he shrugged.

"If you want to, we can see each other tonight before curfew," Raynea suggested.

"Alright," Draco agreed, some of the irritation in his voice melting away at the offer, "Same place upstairs, then?"

"Yeah," Raynea said as she nodded. He handed her, her book before she smiled brightly and started down the hallway. Draco did the same, staring after her as he did.

***

As promised, Raynea would meet Draco just before it was time to head towards their dormitories. She was relieved that they had sort of made up. She was impressed by the fact that he had wanted to apologize to her. It was a small gesture of kindness, but a gesture of kindness nonetheless. Raynea arrived at their agreed meeting spot and waited for Draco to show up. She stared at the students as they passed by her. They were all making their way to the dormitories, just like she should've been. Draco was running late, and Raynea grew more anxious by the minute. She hoped that the hallways would be vacant by the time Draco turned up. Luckily, her wish came true. When he had finally made an appearance, it seemed as though everyone else was gone.

Raynea studied Draco carefully as he approached her. He continued to look increasingly worn out. His eyes were so heavy and the circles beneath them grew darker by the day. Also, Draco looked nervous. As of late, he always appeared this way, but it was especially bad that night. Raynea was worried. She couldn't even begin to guess what was wrong with him.

"You're late," she stated, trying to conceal the concern in her voice, "…and you look sick."

"Can we just skip the pleasantries tonight?" Draco said in annoyance, rolling his eyes.

"Where were you?" Raynea asked curiously.

"Nowhere," he responded as his eyes darted around rapidly, "I was just late is all." He became more nervous as she questioned him. In an attempt to stop a further interrogation, Draco grabbed Raynea by the waist and pulled her against him. He lowered his face to hers slowly and smirked.

"It's just…you seem really—"

"Will you shut the hell up?" he snapped in frustration.

"But—"

"Stop talking," Draco interrupted as he pressed his mouth onto hers. Raynea could tell that he was upset about something—well, more so than usual. He seemed off and it appeared he just needed some comfort at the moment. She grabbed the back of his head and used her other hand to brace herself against the wall. Everything was fine for a moment, but then she separated herself from him.

"Bloody hell…" Draco said irritably.

"It's getting late," Raynea pointed out as she folded her lips, "I should go."

"Don't," he stated with a tone that consisted of both aggravation and desperation.

"We both need to go," she reasoned before he kissed her roughly again. Raynea went along with his actions for a second, then ripped herself away from him, "Its past curfew."

"I don't give a damn about curfew," Draco replied slyly, running his lips against the side of her head and working his way down to her jaw line.

"Stop, Draco," Raynea ordered, "We need to go."

"Just give me a minute," he answered quietly yet harshly. He was seriously messed up about something. Usually, he would have had enough sense to go to his dormitory by now. Raynea felt sad as she gazed upon him. What was wrong?

"Come here," Draco commanded in a hushed voice as he kissed her forcefully. Raynea gave into him for the time being. He was upset and her presence appeared to help him. They remained in this embrace for a few moments, when suddenly, Raynea saw a tall, dark figure behind Draco. He also seemed to sense that someone was there, for he pulled away from her quickly. They both looked upon Professor Snape with wide eyes. Raynea was surprised that Draco actually looked concerned that they were caught. She would've guessed that he wouldn't have really cared, but Draco actually looked rather terrified. Snape was glaring down at them with a sour expression.

"A bit late to be out of your dormitories, wouldn't you agree?" he asked in his smooth, cold voice.

"Uh…yes…sir," Raynea replied sheepishly, "We were just—"

"I am well aware of what you were doing, Ms. McCoy," Snape told her humorlessly, "I suggest that you make your way to your dormitory at once."

"Yes, sir," Raynea agreed gently before offering Draco one last look and making her way down the corridor.

***

Snape gazed upon Draco with an angry expression as he took a short step forward. He snarled before addressing him.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Snape demanded furiously.

"I have some idea," Draco answered with an air of arrogance about him. It was obvious that this was a way for him to hide his fear.

"You are risking everything that you've been working for. Are you aware of that?" Snape asked through gritted teeth.

"Please," Draco scoffed as he shrugged, "I have everything under control."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Snape countered grimly, "You can't be doing this, Draco. You have a mission."

"Really?" Draco said sarcastically with an eyebrow raise, "Cause I had no bloody idea."

"Watch your tongue," Snape threatened harshly.

"I know what I'm doing," Draco exclaimed with a hint of doubt in his voice. He tried to conceal this with smugness, "I was chosen for this. Out of everyone, he picked me."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're running out of time," Snape reminded him coldly, "I won't let you fail. I swore to protect you."

"Yeah, I've heard this speech before," Draco shot back in frustration, "I don't need your protection."

"Apparently, you do. You have to do this, Draco. You have a mission to complete," Snape stated irately, "And whoring around with one of Potter's closest friends isn't the way to get the job done."

Draco stared at him with narrowed eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. He had no opposing argument. He couldn't even think of what to say. This conversation merely added to his intense levels of stress.

"I _will not _let you fail," Snape repeated gravely, "You have to stay focused."

"I _am _focused," Draco responded gruffly.

"Oh, yes," Snape said sardonically, "You've proved that."

"This isn't any of your business, Snape," Draco snarled.

"It _is _my business, Draco," Snape told him fiercely, "The very fact that I made an Unbreakable Vow to protect you makes it my business."

Draco simply stood there and gazed at the man in front of him with tired eyes. Snape took a few steps back before addressing him again, this time with a severer tone.

"That girl will do nothing but distract you," Snape declared gravely, "She's already done that, so far. If you value your life, you will cease any further involvement with Ms. McCoy."

"Please," Draco jeered.

"I mean it, Draco," Snape threatened, "You _will _end it. Do you understand?"

Draco took in what Snape was saying with a depressed yet irritated expression on his face. He fixed his gaze off to the side and stood there silently for a moment.

"Yes," he answered solemnly.

***

Raynea awoke the next morning with a bad feeling in her stomach. Once again, she and Draco were caught. She supposed that it wasn't too much of a problem; it was only Snape. It's not like he would say anything to anyone. However, Raynea still felt rather anxious as she made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. In addition to the worry she felt towards the occurrence from the night before, she was also concerned about Draco in general. He was more upset last night than he had ever been before and she still didn't know why. All the emotions surrounding him were so grim. He was always sad or stressed out or scared or angry. Sometimes he was his usual, smug self, but this was obviously a façade. Raynea could sense that there was something wrong with him inside.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, though Raynea still had a bunch of negative thoughts in her mind. She also hadn't seen Draco all day, and didn't get to find out what had happened after Snape had sent her away. She figured Snape just yelled at Draco a bit or something like that. It's not like they had done anything seriously wrong.

During dinner, Raynea noticed that Draco looked even worse than he had the night before. She felt so sorry for him as she gazed at him. His expression was both sad and scared and he looked ridiculously exhausted. She hoped to meet up with him before the night was over to see if he was okay. The worry she felt was overwhelming.

Raynea spent most of her night in the library and hoped she would somehow run into Draco. Luckily, her plan was successful, for she spotted him just as she started to head towards the Gryffindor tower. He was walking in front of her and she raced to catch up with him. When she finally had reached him, Raynea patted his arm to get his attention and he turned to face her with a severe look on his face.

"Hey," she said breathlessly, "I've wanted to talk to you all day."

Draco simply stared at her for a moment, and his expression softened slightly. He looked rather somber as he kept his grey eyes fixed upon her face.

"Is everything okay?" Raynea asked in a gentle voice.

"No, actually it isn't," Draco snarled rudely as all the sadness in his eyes turned back to anger.

"Did something happen?"

"Yeah," he stated offensively, "I finally came to my bloody senses."

"What'd you mean?" Raynea questioned, taken aback by his especially rough countenance.

"This whole thing is absolutely ridiculous," Draco told her harshly.

"What're you talking about?"

"You and me," he stated gruffly, "The idea of us together is just stupid. I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner."

"What?" she inquired in a weak voice.

"This will never work," Draco exclaimed fiercely, "I mean, you're a half-blood…it's disgusting. Not to mention that you're a ruddy Gryffindor…I dunno what I was thinking."

"Why're you saying this to me?" Raynea asked as tears coated her eyes, "What happened?"

"I woke up," he said sternly, "The truth is, you're beneath me."

"What?" That was all Raynea could say. She had no idea where any of this was coming from and she didn't know how to react. Her body was shaking and she felt her knees start to weaken.

"That's right," Draco verified with a violently smug tone, "I say we should just be done with this. Save us both a lot of time."

Raynea simply stared at him as the tears threatened to fall down her face. He looked away from her swiftly. Though, anytime his eyes did find her, his expression was pained.

"I don't understand," she said desperately.

"Neither do I," Draco began menacingly as he took a step forward, "I don't understand why I would even waste my time with dirt like you."

Raynea continued to just stand there and stare. She looked like she was ready to faint. She had gone pale and her eyes were heavy.

"Let's end the bloody charade. This is over," Draco stated brutally, preparing to take his leave, "…bitch."

With that, Draco headed down the hallway. Raynea gazed after him with a miserable look on her face and just remained in the same spot for another minute. She slowly made her way to the Gryffindor tower, not sure if she'd even be able to drag herself there.

***

Raynea entered the common room with a blank expression. She could only hold in her tears for so much longer. She treaded through the room without evening paying attention to what was in front of her. She was certain that she'd run into someone, but she didn't even care. Raynea trudged up the stairs, hardly able to control her own limbs. She had an empty feeling in her stomach and a look of dread upon her face as she entered her dormitory. Hermione was already inside, sitting on her bed with a bunch of homework surrounding her. Raynea's eyes stayed focused ahead as she sat down on her own bed and a few tears leaked down her face.

"Raynea, what is it?" Hermione asked in concern, hopping up from her bed and taking a seat beside her friend. Raynea didn't respond. She just sat there as tears freely fell down her face. She didn't know if she could talk—she could barely even breathe. It was like she wasn't even there all the way. She wished she wasn't there at all. She didn't even want to exist at this point. Then, she wouldn't have to feel anything.

"What happened?" Hermione questioned with a sympathetic look, "You can tell me."

Raynea shook her head slowly as more tears poured out of her eyes. Her face contorted miserably as she began to openly sob. This lasted for quite awhile and Hermione put her arm around her and patted her back comfortingly. After some time had passed, Hermione pressed Raynea further.

"What's wrong, Raynea? You have to talk to me," she told her with a gentle voice.

Raynea inhaled sharply and began to speak as she shook violently with sobs.

"He's gone…"

"What? Who's gone?"

"He ended it…"

"Who ended it? What're you talking about?"

"He said he cared…why would he say he cared if he didn't?"

"Raynea, what're you talking about?"

"Why would he do that to me? What did I do?"

"You need to tell me what happened," Hermione said consolingly yet reasonably.

Raynea exhaled deeply as she tried to get herself under control. She wasn't even sure if she should tell Hermione about Draco, but she almost didn't care. It didn't matter; it was over anyway…

"Who're you talking about?"

Raynea felt herself going to pieces again and she wept heavily.

"Hermione…please don't think any less of me…"

"You know I won't," Hermione assured her kindly.

"Please, just don't hate me…I can't…I just can't…"

"You can tell me anything."

"Please …"

"Raynea, tell me."

"Draco…"

"Malfoy?" Hermione repeated in surprise. She didn't sound angry, just utterly shocked, "Well…that's…uh…"

"I know how it sounds," Raynea said desolately.

"No, it's okay—"

"No, it's _not_ okay. I screwed everything up…I let him get inside my head…I just…it's Draco…and now he's gone…"

Raynea began to bawl uncontrollably and Hermione continued to comfort her with deep sympathy.

"It's going to be okay," she told Raynea.

"No, it's not…"

"Yes, it will."

"No…Draco…"


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reviewing! I'm really glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I'm hoping this one doesn't totally fail. It's kinda a transitional chapter. There's a lot of internal stuff covered. Most of it deals with what's going on in Raynea and Draco's heads and such. The conversation towards the end will serve a greater purpose in the next chapter. It's all connected...sort of. I have a plan. I dunno about this chapter, though. Please lemme know what you think. I am offering a rewrite, once again, if it needs to be improved. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! Please review, if you would like. Thanks so much!!! :)**

Raynea awoke the next morning with a splitting headache. She was curled up at the end of her bed, still fully dressed in her robes. She sat up slowly and found that the pain in her head only increased. She touched a hand to her face and found that she still had tears on her cheeks. For awhile, Raynea was in a confused, almost drunken state. She couldn't really remember anything for the moment because she was so unbelievably tired. Raynea was even more surprised to see Hermione asleep on the bed also. She had her knees tucked up against her chest and Raynea could see the exhaustion in her face. She shook Hermione gently to wake her up and the girl's eyes fluttered open.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked in a hoarse voice. She sat up slowly and seemed to be in the same puzzled condition as Raynea.

"I dunno," Raynea responded exhaustedly before getting onto her feet. At this, she became a bit more alert and suddenly, she remembered everything that was bothering her.

"We should get down to breakfast," Hermione reasoned with a yawn as she stretched and hopped to her feet briskly.

Hermione began to hustle around the room and gather the items she would need to prepare for the day while Raynea just stood there with a blank expression on her face. After awhile, Hermione noticed her friend's lack of movement and turned to face her cautiously.

"Raynea…will you be alright?" Hermione questioned.

"Yeah," Raynea told her with no emotion in her voice.

"I know today is going to be hard for you, but I'll be there with you every step of the way," Hermione explained kindly as she smiled.

"Thanks," Raynea said, attempting to return the gesture. She couldn't even crack a smile—she felt absolutely pathetic.

"Start getting ready," Hermione instructed thoughtfully before continuing to gather her things.

Raynea nodded stiffly but remained in her spot for a second. She wished she was still in the groggy state she had been in only a few minutes earlier. Thinking about the day she would have to face truly bothered her. Eventually, she would see Draco, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it. After all the things he had said, she didn't even want to be in the same castle as him. When she really sorted through what had happened, Raynea felt even worse.

Draco had said that she was beneath him. She didn't understand; he never seemed to really care about her blood or her house before. In fact, she was the one who always pointed out the major differences in their lifestyles. Obviously it bothered him, but he didn't let it effect his feelings. Raynea honestly had no idea where all his grievances were coming from. One day he hated just to be away from her, and the next he thought she was trash. It made absolutely no sense. Raynea could hardly bear to face the fact that Draco didn't want her anymore…

After everything that had happened between them, he suddenly decided that they were wrong for each other? Was he just using her to satisfy himself temporarily? Did he ever even care for her at all? Too many questions plagued Raynea, and she was too afraid to try to figure out the answers to them. All she knew was that Draco was gone. He was out of her life for good. When she was reminded of this, she wished she was dead. She didn't want to exist. She didn't want to feel. She rather cease to be, than imagine her life without Draco Malfoy. Admitting this to herself was easy. For once, realizing how much she cared for him was simple.

***

Draco headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast with a dreadful feeling in his gut. He wasn't sure if he would be able to see Raynea without completely losing it. All the things he had to force himself to say to her were positively untrue. Draco despised the fact that he had to end things with Raynea for the sake of his mission. He could hardly bring himself to even imagine being without her. Doing what he had done to her nearly killed him. The only way he could think to end things permanently, was to hurt her. His only choice was to hurt her, and he hated it.

He was chosen to kill Dumbledore. He was forced into being a Death Eater. He was threatened into living a life he didn't want to lead. There was a tremendous amount of weight on his shoulders because of who he was and what he had to do. He was already dying inside because of all the things he had been put through over the past few months, and now that he was pushed away from Raynea, he felt even more awful. She comforted him just by being there. She didn't even try to do this, but she always did. Everything about her soothed him and left him wanting more. Draco was almost positive that he was in love with Raynea McCoy and she was taken from him, as was the rest of his normal life.

Though, Draco knew he had to go on. He had a job to do, and deep down, he knew that Snape was right. Raynea had been a distraction, but a _good _distraction. She kept him from losing himself completely. However, if he wanted to keep his life, Draco would have to do what he was meant to. It was probably better that he ended things sooner, for he would lose her no matter what. Once he fulfilled his mission, Draco would lose everything. His friends…his own ideas of what he wanted for himself…and Raynea… So either way, he was doomed. He was trapped in this life and he was running out of time.

***

The day had not been easy. Raynea could hardly make it down to the Great Hall without going to pieces. She refused to look in the direction of the Slytherin table. She just couldn't do it. Though, even being in Draco's vicinity made her feel sick. However, Raynea was lucky to have Hermione by her side. She was truly grateful that she had such a good friend. She expected Hermione to have a similar reaction to her situation as Ron had had, but Raynea was pleasantly surprised. Although, this wasn't enough to take away the pain she felt.

Throughout the day, Raynea felt as though she could burst into tears at any moment. She hated herself for being so weak. It was just Draco; she felt as though she should be able to deal with it…but she couldn't. Even thinking about it left her feeling miserable. His words kept replaying over and over in her mind. She was reminded of everything that had happened between them over the past few months and it made her feel unbelievably depressed. All these things kept coming at her and she felt like it would never stop. All the hurt she was feeling seemed endless. Though, she wished it would all just be over. Living with so much anguish was unbearable. Raynea couldn't even imagine what it would be like to feel happy. It was even harder for her to envision seeing Draco again. She had been lucky so far; she hadn't laid eyes on him once that day. However, she knew this wouldn't last forever. Eventually, Raynea would have to face Draco again, and even considering this made her ill.

She went the entire day without seeing him, though. For that, Raynea felt fortunate. Hermione had also spent the entire day with her, and Raynea was glad for this as well. Even if she had ended up seeing Draco, at least she wouldn't be alone. As she prepared for bed that evening, the situation continued to infect her mind. All Raynea could think about was Draco. She remembered all the horrible things he had ever said to her, and wished that would be enough to make her hate him. She hated him, but only because she cared about him so much; because she felt so strongly for him. She hated that he had made her this way, but she couldn't bring herself to hate him for any other reason.

Raynea got into bed and stared up at the ceiling with heavy eyes. She found it ironic that she had only truly been in a relationship with Draco for a few days, and she was this destroyed over their break up. It was so wrong how much she cared. It was wrong that when things had just started to get easier, they immediately went back to being difficult.

***

Draco grew even more depressed over the next couple of days. Being separated from Raynea, only for a span of a few days, was awful. He hadn't really seen her at all during this time. In fact, he went out of his way to avoid her. There was no point in making himself more miserable. Plus, he figured she wasn't doing too well also, and he couldn't bear to see her in such a state. He liked to see her angry, not sad. There was a huge difference. Also, his mission continued to loom over him. He was close to perfecting the Vanishing Cabinet, but as he progressed, Harry Potter grew more suspicious. This merely added to Draco's stress. It was one of the roughest weeks he had ever had. Though, it was only destined to become worse.

One evening, Draco had spent a particularly long time in the Room of Requirement. It was nearly curfew and he was racing to the Slytherin dormitories as fast as he possibly could. He wasn't interested in having another confrontation with Snape at such a late hour. As Draco sped down a flight of stairs, he felt himself growing more panicked. This seemed almost impossible, for he was constantly a nervous wreck, but he continued to feel his stomach contract uncomfortably. He was immensely surprised when he saw a figure pass by him on the stairs, and this only added to his anxiety. It was bad enough that he was startled by another person at all, but who it was left him feeling even worse. Draco felt tears burn his eyes as he gazed upon Raynea. He had no idea what she would be doing out so late, and he couldn't help but notice how sick she looked. She appeared to be even thinner than she already was, and her usual tan complexion was a bit paler than usual. She also looked exhausted. Apparently, she was taking their separation even harder than he thought she would.

"_Dammit McCoy_," Draco thought bitterly, "_What're you doing to me_?"

He so desperately wanted to say something, but he couldn't. It hurt to see her and if he spoke, the situation would only worsen. Knowing that he couldn't stay with her was horrible for him. Draco grew even more melancholy as Raynea's eyes fell on him for a second. She didn't allow it to last very long, but the fact that it had happened even for a moment, was hard to deal with. Draco ripped his gaze away from her and fixed his eyes straight ahead as he passed. Seeing Raynea was difficult, but he couldn't allow it to completely derail him. He was upset enough as it was, he had to try to keep himself together.

***

Raynea returned to the Gryffindor tower late that evening, and seeing Draco Malfoy on the way there did not help to improve her mood. It was the first time she had laid her eyes on him since he had ended their relationship. She had been able to avoid him for days, then all of a sudden she was subjected to a view of him on the stairs. It left her feeling utterly desolate. Seeing him again was much harder than she even imagined. However, things were made worse when she was greeted by Ron in the common room upon her return. He was lounged about the couch and appeared to simply be staring at the fire. Raynea tried to get past him without being noticed, but he turned his head at the sound of the portrait hole closing.

"You were out late," Ron pointed out rudely, "Did Draco keep you especially busy tonight?"

Raynea shuddered at the sound of his name. She couldn't deal with a cold interrogation from Ron, especially after she had just seen Draco out in the hallway.

"Let it go, Ron," she answered quietly.

"I'm sure he probably manipulated you into staying with him so late. That is what he _would _do," Ron pressed on coolly as he got to his feet.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Raynea told him, narrowing her eyes in annoyance.

"No, I think _you _have no idea what you've gotten yourself into," Ron shot back fiercely.

"Stop," Raynea warned him, "I swear, just drop it."

"No, I'm not going to drop it until you come to your bloody senses," Ron responded angrily.

"I've already heard everything you have to say about this," Raynea pointed out, "There's no need to keep the argument going."

"Whatever," Ron stated furiously with a shrug, "I guess it doesn't matter. Just stay with the git. You might as well. You're more a Slytherin than a Gryffindor these days, anyway."

Raynea froze and felt her stomach tense up uneasily. After all that she had been going through lately, she would have to put up with this crap too?

"Shut up, Ron! Shut the hell up!" she shouted as tears leaked down her face, "You have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe if you would stop walking around in a blind rage for a minute, you would see that I am _not _okay. Malfoy ended things with me, so you should be bloody ecstatic. From now on, shut the hell up about things that you don't understand. Just shut up!"

Raynea collapsed onto the ground after her rant as she began to sob hysterically. Everything she was feeling was so overwhelming and she needed to vent her frustration. She hated that Ron had to be her verbal punching bag, but he had pushed her past her limits. It had been a trying evening and Raynea just couldn't deal anymore. She was aware of how pathetic and weak she had become, and she despised it almost as much as she despised her entire situation. She was ripped from her thoughts as she saw Ron take a seat beside her on the floor. He put his hand on her shoulder consolingly and sighed.

"I'm sorry," Ron stated in a hushed voice, "I didn't know…"

Raynea didn't respond as more tears fell down her cheeks. She gazed upon him with a puzzled expression before he addressed her again.

"I didn't mean what I said about you not bring a Gryffindor," he continued remorsefully, "It's just been rough lately and…er…I dunno…finding out about you and Malfoy just sort of pushed me over the edge. I only got so angry because you're my best friend, and I don't think that you should spend your time with such a git."

Raynea smiled softly and looked at him with tired eyes.

"I know," she said.

"Let's just forget about it," Ron suggested, standing up from his spot on the floor, then grabbing Raynea by the hands and pulling her to her feet, "Our friendship is more important."

"Definitely," she agreed as her tears slowly came to an end.

The pair approached the staircase and each offered the other a small grin.

"See you tomorrow, Rayne," Ron said warmly before heading up the steps.

"Goodnight," Raynea replied, remaining in her spot at the foot of the stairs.

At least she had some relief. Ron had put his anger aside and decided to be rational for once. She appreciated this, for she hated the strain that had been on their friendship the past few days. Also, having a chance to yell out what she was feeling was extremely beneficial. Raynea wasn't doing well by any means, but at least she could function now. She sighed heavily before starting up the stairs herself, hoping that a good night's sleep would help to give her some more perspective.

***'

Raynea awoke the next morning feeling significantly less depressed. However, the lack of sadness prompted her dominant emotion to be anger. She supposed she was dealing with her separation from Draco in stages. First, she was nearly catatonic, then she was incredibly miserable, and now, she was just plain livid. She expected to feel relief from her slight change in mood, but it was just as hard to deal with the anger as it was to deal with her depression.

The first half of the day went by rather smoothly, much to Raynea's surprise. She was able to put her irritation aside when she was around her friends and during class. Also, she was glad to have Ron as her friend again. It certainly made the day easier and more entertaining. There was an unspoken agreement among Ron, Hermione and Raynea that they would not mention Raynea's involvement with Draco to Harry. It would only complicate things between them, and things were just starting to calm down again. Yes, keeping everything under wraps was definitely the best plan.

After dinner, Raynea headed towards the library on her own. Hermione had spent almost every waking moment with her since the night Draco ended their relationship, and she was sure that her friend could use a break. Hermione really deserved a night to herself. She had been so great over the past few days, and Raynea couldn't even begin to thank her enough. As Raynea continued towards the library, she actually began to feel a little nervous. What if she did run into Draco again while she was by herself? It was different the night before; it was late, and Raynea was still in a rather saddened state. Now, she was furious, and she wasn't sure how she would react to his presence. She would find out soon enough, for she literally bumped right into him outside the library. This time, he had been the one at fault. Draco hadn't really been paying much attention to his surroundings from what she could tell and when he looked up to see that she was the one he had crashed into, his face froze. For a moment, they both merely stared at one another. Though, this didn't last long, for Draco suddenly scowled and glared down at her.

"Watch where you're going," he said threateningly. Raynea's anger went into overdrive, but she tried her best to remain calm. Her attempts weren't very effective.

"You got in my way, not the other way around," she responded in annoyance.

"How about you just apologize, then we can both be on our merry way," Draco shot back with raised eyebrows.

"I'm not apologizing because _you _bumped into _me_," Raynea told him.

"You had time to move out of the way," Draco sneered.

"Yeah? Well, you should've been paying attention instead of daydreaming about whatever bullshit it is you think about," Raynea exclaimed with narrowed eyes.

"Ooh, someone's in a mood," Draco pointed out smugly as he smirked.

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe it's the company?" she suggested pointedly.

"And you're bitter, too," he continued conceitedly.

"I'm not bitter," Raynea returned frantically, "What would I possibly have to be bitter about?"

"Denial, how surprising," Draco stated sarcastically in reference to her question.

"Shut up, you prick," she said fiercely.

"You don't do well with rejection, do you?" Draco replied arrogantly, "You must've scared the crap outta Potter after he dropped you for that red-headed whore."

"Don't talk about Harry," Raynea ordered, "In fact, don't talk to me at all."

"Believe me, I wasn't gunning for a conversation," Draco informed her coldly.

"Then, why're you still standing here?"

"Why're you still standing here?"

"Because I need to get into the library, and you're in my way," Raynea answered in frustration.

"That's how you spend your nights now? In the library," Draco said haughtily, his smirk growing, "Merlin, you're pathetic."

"The only thing pathetic about me is that I let you even touch me," Raynea countered viciously.

"Yeah, you're tainted goods now," Draco stated superiorly, "How unfortunate for you. Too bad you can't take back all that time you spent with me."

"Believe me, if I could… I would," she told him coolly.

Draco actually seemed to be affected by her last statement. He inhaled sharply and tried to hide the pained look on his face. He glared at her for a moment before shrugging.

"Same here," he agreed.

"Well, then…" Raynea began to go around him so that she could enter the library, but he stepped in front of her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"I wasn't done talking to you," Draco told her as the smirk reappeared on his face.

"Why would you even waste your time talking to dirt like me?"

"Because, despite the fact that you're a disgusting excuse for a wizard, you're still fun to torment," Draco explained roughly.

"I feel like we're thirteen again with this," Raynea stated irritably, "If you hate me so much, then stay away."

"I'm not gonna let someone like _you _order me around. I'll bloody leave when I'm good and ready."

Raynea was beyond livid at this point. Words could not even describe the level of rage she had reached. She clenched her fists and was literally two seconds away from socking him right in the face.

"Let me pass, Malfoy," Raynea began intensely, "I don't have to waste my time talking to you anymore. I owe you nothing. I wish I could take back everything that has ever happened between us. I hate everything about you and I rather drop dead than spend another second with you."

"Let's hope," Draco answered brutally, referring only to the final part of her rant.

Raynea stared at him angrily before he got out of the way to let her pass. She walked by him swiftly and headed into the library, sure that she wouldn't even be able to focus on whatever work she had intended to complete.

***

Draco plopped onto his bed and stared down at his hands sourly as he sat. Talking to Raynea was harder than he had imagined, and keeping up the pretense that he had absolutely no feelings for her had also proven difficult. He knew he had slipped up when he wouldn't allow her to leave, but he couldn't bring himself to let her go. He didn't even have the will power to take off, himself. Her words had truly affected him, and he was certain that his had done the same to her. They had said some pretty horrible things to one another before, but after all that had happened between them, this felt like the worst of it. Draco had no regrets about his relationship with Raynea, besides the fact that he had to end it. He wondered if all her declarations were genuine. Did she really hate that they had been together at all? Draco figured that she was probably having trouble facing the separation, and this was how she dealt with it. Though, a small part of him doubted his rationalization. What if she had meant everything she had just said? Now, he knew exactly how she was feeling the other day…

However, he had bigger problems. He would have to kill Dumbledore soon—as soon as he finished with the Vanishing Cabinet. Draco was aware that he only had a number of weeks left. The time was drawing near. Then, their entire plan would go into action. He wasn't ready for any of it, but he only had a matter of weeks…


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the reviews!! This chapter should have more action than the last one. There's still lots of angst, though. Seriously angsty chapters (more so than this one and the others) coming up after this. The story is really getting down to the wire! Only a few chapters left. I'm not sure of the exact number, but it's coming to the end. I really hope you enjoy this update! Hopefully, some stuff seems sort of resolved...sort of...Anyway, please leave a review, if possible and again, I hope you like it! Thanks so much! :)**

The following day, Raynea was still livid over the argument she had had with Draco. Talking to him was difficult…as well as irritating. She was utterly frustrated with him, especially after their conversation from the previous night. How dare he talk to her after being a complete git? More importantly, why did he try so hard to prolong their exchange? If she was so 'beneath him,' why would he even still waste his time talking to her at all? His excuse that she was fun to annoy was flimsy. She supposed it could be true, but she had her doubts. If he was so disgusted with her, he wouldn't even want to spend any time with her. Raynea was under the impression that he had no feelings for her, but his actions caused her to think otherwise. She was massively confused and felt that some of her sadness had returned. It was an unusual situation…and also an upsetting one.

By the evening, Raynea was relieved to be in the comfort of her dormitory. She refused to go out and about the castle considering that she could possibly run into Draco again. So, instead, she chose just to lie on her bed and read. She attempted to continue the book she had been working on for awhile, but then recalled that she had some unread mail. Raynea snatched it up from her nightstand, and sorted through it with a curious expression on her face. She was about to indulge in the latest addition of the _Daily Prophet_, when she felt a letter slip from the stack and onto her lap. Raynea picked it up slowly and felt her stomach contract nervously as she read the return address. It was from Aurora's boyfriend, Luke. He had finally gotten back to her after all these weeks. She tore the envelope impatiently and unfolded the letter. As she read the contents of the page, Raynea felt as though she would be ill.

_Raynea,_

_I'm sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. I didn't want to answer your letter in haste, which is why I waited. I am truly sorry if my lack of response only added to your stress. I just wanted to make sure I tried as hard as I could to find Aurora first, and I have tried. When she didn't return, I sent a letter, but she never got back to me. Then, I sent letters to all the friends whom she accompanied to France, and none of them answered either. I even went to France myself and went to the house in which she was staying. It was empty. I've declared her missing, and still haven't heard any word. It's been weeks. I was told to assume she was dead, but I'm not giving up. I will search as long as I have to. Though, I must tell you, there is a good chance that she is dead. I am so sorry to be the bearer of this news, and believe me, I am not handling it well myself. I will keep looking, though, Raynea. I know this will be difficult for you, and I promise you that you may stay with me if I still am not able to find her by the time you finish the term. Try to keep faith, even though it is hard. I will let you know if I receive any news of her whereabouts. I am wishing you well._

_Luke_

The letter dropped from Raynea's hands as they began to shake anxiously. Tears covered her eyes and she started to hyperventilate madly. She jumped up from her bed and paced the room as she continued to mull over what the letter had said. Luke had tried to sugar coat it, but Raynea understood the underlying message. She was to give up hope. The only way that she could think to describe what she was feeling was hysteric misery. She was so disheartened, she felt trapped. The tears that had formed in her eyes still had not fallen, for Raynea was too panicked to even cry. She had to get out. She couldn't stay cooped up alone in the dormitory anymore. She raced out of the room and down the stairs in a flash, wishing she could go outside and be in the open air. Raynea could hardly breathe, and what she truly wanted at the moment was to have fresh air in her lungs.

She went through the common room, bumping into the students loitering there as she went. She didn't care about being polite. She just needed to get out. Once she had exited through the portrait hole, Raynea walked through the halls of the school in a blind state of terror. She had no idea where she was going and she didn't really care. She didn't need a destination, she just needed to be moving around. She needed something—anything to distract her from what she was feeling. Aurora couldn't be dead…it just wasn't possible. She didn't even understand what or who would've killed her. Aurora had no illnesses and no enemies as far as Raynea knew. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense as of late. Everything was simply…awful.

The tears still lingered in Raynea's eyes as she continued to tear through the hallways. She zoomed past people and even bumped into a few of them. This didn't matter though. Nothing mattered. She just wanted to be up and around. It wasn't an effective distraction, but it was better than just sitting in her dorm in mourning. She kept going. She didn't know where to go or what to do. She wasn't sure of anything at this point. Though, she was certain that she rather cease to exist than deal with her life anymore. There was too much to deal with, and she was tired—tired of everything. Raynea was in a state of limbo. She didn't want to die, by any means, but living was becoming too difficult…so, she was just…there.

Her pace quickened as she turned into another corridor and she wasn't even aware of where she was or what she was doing. Raynea wasn't looking around—in fact, she wasn't even looking right in front of her. The tears in her eyes obscured her vision, but it didn't really make a difference. She was nearly running when she collided right into a passing person. Without saying a word, Raynea backed up a few paces so that they were out of her way, then continued walking briskly. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her and a cold voice addressed her.

"That was your fault this time, bitch," Draco informed her irritably as he followed behind her. Raynea didn't answer; she just kept walking.

"Are you even bloody listening?" he pressed on in annoyance. She still didn't reply. She couldn't speak. Not to him. Not to anyone.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," Draco exclaimed before sighing heavily and grabbing her shoulder to turn her so that she was facing him. After a minute or two, he spoke again.

"What's wrong with you?"

Raynea allowed him to jerk her around, and merely stood there once they were face to face. She simply stared ahead at his chest, for that's where her vision reached on his body. She didn't look up and didn't say a word. For a moment, Raynea just kept her eyes fixed in front of her. Her face was expressionless, but tears still threatened to pour out of her eyes. They hadn't yet though, and she supposed that was a good thing. She had cried enough lately. However, Raynea wasn't sure if she would be able to keep it up much longer. She was hardly even aware of Draco's presence, but he remained there for a few seconds. He just stood there.

Then, all of a sudden, Raynea felt him put both arms around her and he pulled her against his chest as tears started to stream down her face. She began to quake with sobs and this prompted Draco to his tighten his grip on her. She didn't put her arms around him in return; she just allowed him to have her in his embrace. She began to weep louder and she felt Draco pull her even closer—if that was even possible. His arms were wrapped around her body and rested on her back and he placed his chin upon the top of her head. His hand moved up to the back of her head after awhile and he grasped her hair tightly as she continued to cry. This lasted for what felt like a long time. Raynea wasn't exactly aware of how much time was passing, at the moment. She was focused on other things. Having Draco there was helpful, in a way. She supposed that even _he _wasn't enough to help her this time.

After some more time had passed, Draco released her and simply walked away after that. Raynea was too distraught to really care, but she was sure it would bother her later. She remained in the same spot a few minutes post his departure, then trudged through the hallways and returned to the Gryffindor tower. She was able to hold in her tears for the time being. Raynea entered the common room slowly, and was surprised to see that it was nearly empty. Following that, she ascended up the stairs shakily and went into her dormitory. She collapsed upon her bed and let more tears escape her eyes. Perhaps some sleep would aid her in her distress.

***

Draco sat in the library by himself the next afternoon, just to be away from everyone. The Slytherin common room had too many people, and he was feeling rather cramped being stuck in his dormitory. The library seemed like the best alternative. It was quiet, and not many students were around that day. He stared down at the book lying on the table in front of him, but didn't read any of the words. He was simply trying to give the illusion that he was reading so that he seemed busy, but all he really wanted to do was think.

His mission was on his mind constantly and it was nearly killing him. He would never grow accustomed to the pain it brought him. Draco felt like he always had to be so guarded. It was like he was never really himself. Not to mention that it had cost him Raynea. After what had happened the night before, he felt more unsatisfied. Having her for one minute, then having to let her go the next, was sort of a tease. He was aware that he had brought it upon himself, but he still couldn't help but resent her for it. Why did Raynea always seem to find him when she was so weak? Draco knew he should've just let her alone, but he couldn't leave her there—not like that.

It was quite ironic that he was pondering all this, for Raynea appeared before him in an instant. She immediately pulled out the chair across from him and sat down casually. He shot her a puzzled look and she merely sighed.

"Hi," Raynea said briefly. Draco furrowed his brow then sat up straighter in his seat. He had no idea what the hell she was doing, but he wasn't about to make her leave. He wanted her to stay, though his better judgment told him that he should avoid any contact with her. It would only make things more complicated.

"How are you?" she asked before Draco had a chance to give a response.

"Are you suffering from some sort of head trauma, McCoy, or have you always been this mad?" he shot back harshly, "What're you doing?"

"I can't just ask how you are?" Raynea demanded in annoyance, "Apparently, you can just be all over me whenever you want."

"Bloody hell…this is what I get for actually doing something _nice_," Draco replied in disgust as he gagged, "I'll never make that mistake again."

"You shouldn't have made it first time," Raynea told him irritably.

"Is that so?" Draco asked with an eyebrow raise,

"Yeah, you should've just stayed away," she verified.

"Maybe you should've stayed in your bloody dormitory and cried to yourself," Draco said roughly, "What the hell were you going on about, anyway?"

"Like I'd tell you," Raynea jeered, crossing her arms over her chest, "I just came over here to try and bloody thank you, but if you're going to be a git, then I'll just leave."

"Fine…do whatever you like," Draco exclaimed in frustration. The idea of her leaving made him extremely anxious, and he tried his best to find a way to make her stay…just for another moment, "I don't need your ruddy 'thank you,' anyway. I didn't do that for you."

"Then, why'd you do it?" Raynea questioned with narrowed eyes.

Draco so desperately wanted to tell her the truth—about everything. She deserved to know, and he thought he deserved to get it off his chest, but he couldn't do it. It wasn't a possibility. Besides, it's not like Raynea would understand. She was on the opposing side, and she wasn't likely to keep his assignment a secret just because she cared about him. He also wanted to tell her that he loved her, though it didn't seem the best time. Plus, he was certain that actually saying it out loud would be way harder than making the realization in his head. That and he had to keep up the pretense that he had no feelings for her whatsoever. Professing his love to her would definitely not be helpful in that capacity. Draco felt as though he had a lot to worry about in order to simply have a conversation with someone. It was exhausting.

"I dunno," Draco answered fiercely, "I was just trying to tell you what a clumsy bint you were, then you start bloody crying. What was I supposed to do?"

"You should've left," Raynea informed him coldly, "That's what Draco Malfoy _would _do."

"Dammit, do I have to give an explanation for every move I make?"

"You owe me an explanation, jackass," Raynea said furiously, "After everything you've put me through, you owe me at least that."

"I don't owe you anything, whore," Draco returned viciously, "And, like you said, you don't owe me anything. So, let's let the matter drop, shall we?"

"You are such a bastard," Raynea stated.

"Yes…I am," Draco agreed coldly as he smirked.

Raynea just glared at him for a few seconds, her breathing heavy due to the insane amounts of rage she seemed to be experiencing. He continued to smirk as her expression softened suddenly.

"Thank you," she said in a hushed voice.

"For what?" Draco demanded rudely.

"For being there," Raynea answered.

"Please," Draco scoffed, "You're so pathetic."

"I don't care about what you think of me, Malfoy," she told him firmly, "I came here to thank you, so I did."

"Whatever," he sneered, slamming his book shut forcefully, "It's not like I could just leave you there."

"Why not?" she asked. It didn't seem like Raynea was trying to get him to admit something. He would've done that to her. In fact, he had done that to her before. However, Draco knew that Raynea was genuinely curious.

"You know bloody why," he grumbled, evading her eyes and sinking down in his chair in annoyance. Raynea tried to take in what he was saying for a moment, before her jaw dropped in realization. She rolled her eyes and exhaled.

"Prick," Raynea grunted stubbornly.

"Bint," Draco shot back brutally.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she inquired after a minute of silence.

"What'd you mean?"

"Why would you say all those awful things to me?"

"It's not like I meant any of them," Draco replied offensively. He sat there quietly for a short time, then smirked before addressing her again, "Except the part about you being a bitch, because that's just the bloody truth."

"Great, Malfoy," Raynea said sarcastically, "That's just frigging spectacular…Why in the hell did you do that to me?"

Draco simply sat there, unable to formulate a proper excuse for his behavior. He was aware that he was acting especially odd. One day he said one thing, and the next he would deny it. It must've been confusing for Raynea. Hell, it was confusing for _him_.

"I dunno…it was…fun," Draco lied in a cruel tone.

"Fun?" Raynea repeated with a hint of revulsion in her voice, "That was fun for you?"

"Yeah," he confirmed smugly as he shrugged.

"Then you don't care about me," Raynea said hoarsely, "You couldn't."

"Raynea…"

"Don't," she ordered as she stood up from her seat, "I will never understand you."

After that, Raynea headed out of the aisle and Draco could see her wiping her eyes as she left. His face contorted as if he was in pain, and he put his head in his hands in frustration.

"No…you won't."

***

About two weeks had passed, and Raynea was still utterly miserable. The news about Aurora was definitely a major contributing factor to her depressed mood. Obviously, it was not something she could get over in a matter of days. She had sent a letter back to Luke, thanking him for informing her of the situation, and that was all she could bear to do. Raynea hated the idea that she had given up on her sister, but it seemed as though the odds of Aurora's survival were fairly slim. Raynea couldn't continue to have hope. Hope had only led her to disappointment.

As far as Draco was concerned, she hadn't spoken to him since their argument in the library. She saw him on occasion, but they never spoke. There was no point. Raynea was almost sure that Draco didn't care for her at all. A small part of her still had doubts, but she was nearly convinced that he had no feelings for her. He had said something to the contrary, though that didn't mean much. Draco Malfoy's word wasn't always valid. However, he had no motive to make her believe that he cared, so she was simply confused. Raynea supposed that she shouldn't ponder the predicament so much, but she couldn't help it. The situation plagued her often. She tried her best to go back into the state of denial she had been in for months, and it was just starting to become effective. Though, deep down, Raynea was still quite aware of how much she cared for Draco.

However, she was somewhat content with her new circumstances. Things appeared to be reverting back to normal, in a way. She had her friends, and that was all she needed, for the time being. Everything was becoming routine, which was good. Raynea had grown accustomed to her depression and to Draco's absence from her life. She supposed that learning to live with what she had was the best she could do.

One evening at dinner, Raynea was in a particularly antsy mood. She was a bit sad, and didn't want to take out her mood on her friends. She finished eating rather quickly, and excused herself as soon as she was done. Harry, Ron and Hermione all understood, for they were aware of the letter that Raynea had received from Luke. They offered her kind good-byes before she headed out of the Great Hall and made her way towards the Gryffindor Tower. Raynea supposed that maybe some sleep would bring her out of her funk. She traveled at a brisk pace and tried her best to keep the negative thoughts out of her mind, though this proved to be difficult. She shook her head rapidly, as if this would remove her bitter musings, as she turned into the next corridor. Then, she ran into something that successfully cleared her mind.

Midway down the hall, Raynea spotted Draco sitting on the ground. First of all, the fact that he would loiter around on the floor was odd, but more importantly, something seemed to be wrong. He was seated with his elbows resting on his bent knees, and his head was pitched downward so that his eyes were fixed on the floor. Raynea walked closer with caution, shocked to see him in such a state of despair. However, she was even more surprised to hear a sob escape from him. Draco Malfoy…was crying? She had seen him upset before, but she had never heard nor seen him openly weep. It was strange…and hard to witness. Seeing him in such pain was difficult for her.

Raynea continued to inch forward carefully, hoping that her presence wouldn't be a bother. He didn't seem aware that anyone else was near him, but suddenly, Draco's head shifted up briefly. She stopped dead in her tracks as his eyes fell upon her. He had looked up so quickly, that Raynea didn't even catch a glimpse of his face. However, she was sure that he knew that she was the one who was standing just a ways down from him. Draco scowled in annoyance, prompting Raynea to wince and back up swiftly. Unexpectedly, in the midst of her departure, he addressed her.

"Stay," he uttered in a hoarse voice, without looking at her. Raynea's eyes widened in surprise before she slowly came up beside him. She simply stood there for a second before taking a seat next to him on the ground. This felt familiar, except the last time they had been in this situation, Raynea was the one who needed consoling.

She stared at him intensely for awhile as he continued to sob, but she didn't say a word. Whatever was bothering him was obviously a big deal, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to pieces like this. Raynea wasn't sure if she should ask him about it, or merely remain there to keep him company. She opted for the former.

"What's wrong?" she questioned in a soft voice. Draco didn't answer for awhile, then lifted his head up and leaned it against the wall resignedly. Raynea got a good look at him for the first time that evening. He looked so sick…so frail…Tears streamed down his pale face and emphasized the dark circles beneath his bloodshot eyes. In a way, he seemed ashamed of his current condition, though, at the same time, it was like he didn't even care. It was strange.

"Don't ask," Draco answered roughly, "You wouldn't understand."

"Probably not," Raynea agreed with a hint of humor in her voice as she smiled pensively, "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah…shut the hell up and just…don't go anywhere…"

She nodded and folded her lips before placing her head against the wall as well. Things stayed this way for a small chunk of time. Raynea abided by his wishes and kept quiet while tears continued to fall from Draco's eyes. It hurt her so much to see him this way. She was aware that he was in more pain, but his pain was hers…in a way.

All of a sudden, Raynea grabbed his hand and held it in hers tightly before edging closer to him. She rested her hand upon his chest as she placed her head on his shoulder warmly. Her eyes trailed up to his face and Raynea simply gazed at him. Her touch seemed to help him a great deal, for she could see that his expression had become slightly more calmed.

The two remained this way for a long time. After all the fighting they had been doing lately, it was odd that they could be so comfortable with each other, but they were. Raynea let go of her anger and was just there for him. If that was all she could do to help, then she would do it. She would do anything for him.

***

As Raynea lay in bed that night, she let the events of the evening wash over her. She had rediscovered Draco's feelings for her. He had spoken the truth earlier; he hadn't meant any of the horrible things he had said to her all those weeks ago. However, she was also certain that he didn't want to be with her—at least, not for the time being. For whatever reason, Draco wanted to stay apart, and Raynea accepted this. She didn't understand it, but she accepted it.

Their relationship surely was strange, to say the least. They would probably at least be sort of civil to one another now, with 'sort of' being the key phrase. Actually, Raynea wasn't quite sure what was going on between them. It was a confusing set of circumstances. At this point, she decided to simply roll with the punches. Trying to comprehend the events of her own life took too much effort. It was better to just see how things turned out. It was all she could really do.

***

Raynea didn't see Draco for two days after what had happened in the hallway. She was okay with this, though. She knew she would catch up with him eventually. It happened sooner rather than later. One morning, before breakfast, Draco approached her as they walked down the stairs to the Great Hall. He came up beside her unexpectedly, and didn't look at her as he spoke.

"Fancy seeing you here," he said arrogantly. Raynea was taken aback by the way he could go from being a crying mess to the conceited asshole he usually was in such a short amount of time.

"How are you—"

"Raynea, you really need to stop asking questions," Draco interrupted in annoyance.

"Sorry," she replied as she rolled her eyes, "You seem to be feeling better."

"Merlin…" Draco trailed off irritably, "Am I this bloody annoying when I find _you _going to pieces?"

"No, you're this bloody annoying all the time," Raynea quipped with a satisfied smile.

"…bitch," he grumbled as he raised his eyebrows in frustration.

"Yes, you seem to be feeling a lot better," she repeated ironically before rolling her eyes again.

"Yeah, you were actually useful for once," Draco stated rudely.

"I'll take that as a 'thank you,'" Raynea said in exasperation.

Draco shrugged as the pair continued down the stairs. The silence that lasted the rest of the way down the steps was comfortable. Once they reached the foot of the stairs, he stopped and turned to face her.

"So…you're good?" he inquired with harsh curiosity.

"Yeah, I'm good," Raynea verified as she offered him a nod, "And…you're good?"

"Haven't we been through this?"

"Right…"

"So…I guess I'll see you later," Draco said.

"You always do," Raynea answered with annoyed amusement.

Draco raised his eyebrows smugly before smirking and heading off down the hallway with his hands in his pockets. Raynea inhaled sharply as she stared after him, then took off down the corridor herself.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews and encouragement! I appreciate it so much. So, this chapter is really, really angsty. Like whoa. It's so filled with drama that I'm giving you advanced warning: Draco and Raynea kinda freak out at the same time. Draco is basically having a complete mental breakdown. What he does in this chapter makes sense to me, but I dunno if everyone else will agree. Also, Raynea seems like extremely screwed up in this chapter...and she kinda is...but I just felt as though I should give warning. Please let me know if I should rewrite it. I seriously will! I don't mind doing it, it would just suck if the update was crap. But let me know! Sorry that this chapter is kinda short, but I wanted to give the more canon stuff it's own chapters. Thanks so, so much for reading and I really hope you enjoy!! :)**

Another week had passed and everything was in an unusual state of calm. Things were great between Harry, Ron, Hermione and Raynea. They were together again, just like old times, and now there was absolutely no awkwardness—not even between Harry and Raynea. She was grateful that her relationship with her friends had reverted completely back to normal. Also, she was doing better in terms of the circumstances revolving around Aurora. She wasn't over it by any means, but she could cope. Though, things with Draco were complicated as usual. They were friends…sort of…

It was an odd set up. They would talk every so often, if they ran into each other. Their exchanges weren't exactly friendly, but they were civil. There was an unspoken understanding between them in reference to their feelings for one another. Raynea knew that Draco cared for her, and Draco knew that Raynea cared for him. They understood this and Raynea tried her best to accept the fact that despite his feelings, Draco didn't want a relationship. She was okay with this, for the time being. It bothered her a little, but she respected Draco's wishes. However, she had made a promise to herself that she wouldn't let their relationship become what it had been before she admitted her feelings to him. They would either be together, in a romantic relationship, or would remain friendly adversaries. Raynea refused to go back to their benefits without friendship relationship.

At times, it seemed as though Draco just wanted to snog her. Sometimes, when they talked, he would subtly suggest it. Raynea always shot him down. She couldn't go back to that slutty, deceiving non-relationship that they had had for so long. It caused her to have so much guilt and she thought that it was unhealthy—though, their entire relationship was rather unstable anyway. Raynea was strong in this belief, however. She wouldn't let Draco pressure her. If he didn't want to be together in a serious relationship, than she wouldn't let him take advantage of her.

Although, after the various times she had shot him down, he continued to hint at it. Draco was always a persistent one…and that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Reading anything interesting?" he questioned arrogantly one afternoon. Raynea had been indulging in a rather lengthy book at the library, and she was frustrated when Draco arrived to pester her. He snatched the book from her hands and tossed it onto the ground behind him as he took a seat in front of her.

"I was," she replied, narrowing her eyes at him, "Can you try to _not _be a pain in my ass today?"

"I will definitely try to not try," Draco told her haughtily as he smirked.

"Bloody hell," Raynea grumbled in annoyance.

"What's with the mood?" he asked rudely.

"You're asking me about _my _mood?" Raynea questioned with irritated amusement, "I'm not the one who has mood swings all the time."

"Please," Draco scoffed.

"Oh, come on, Malfoy. One day you're being an arrogant jackass, and the next you're two seconds away from having a nervous breakdown," Raynea explained.

"You're mad," he stated, rolling his eyes.

"Why won't you just tell me what's wrong?" she asked curiously.

"There's nothing to bloody tell," Draco said harshly as he shrugged.

"Fine," she snapped.

"Fine," he repeated conceitedly.

The two merely glared at one another for a minute before Raynea crossed her arms over her chest and peered behind him.

"Give me my book back," she ordered in annoyance as she continued to glare at him. Draco sighed heavily and leaned back to recover the item. He sat back up with the book in his hand and it appeared as though he was going to return it to her. She held out her hand for it before he pulled it back out of her reach slyly.

"Not so fast, McCoy," he said, his smirk growing, "I have a proposition for you."

"Ugh," she uttered in disgust. Raynea knew what was coming.

"I give this back to you…and then you do something for me. Sounds fair, wouldn't you say?" Draco asked condescendingly as he raised his eyebrows.

"Never mind. Keep it," Raynea answered before rising from her seat.

"Oh, come on, McCoy," Draco began amusedly, "What have you got to lose?"

"My dignity," she suggested pointedly.

"That never seemed to bother you before," he pointed out coolly.

"It's different now."

"Really? How so?"

"A lot has happened between us, Malfoy," Raynea stated matter-of-factly.

"Your point?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Bloody hell," Draco grunted in annoyance, "You make it sound like I'm asking you to shag me."

"Don't get any ideas," Raynea warned.

"Too late," Draco responded smugly, his smirk ever present.

"Charming," she countered sarcastically, "And as far as your 'proposition' goes…my answer is still no."

"Whatever," he said angrily as he sneered, "Your loss."

"Ugh," she uttered for the second time.

***

Draco grew more stressed by the day. Raynea was right; he was two seconds away from having a nervous breakdown. He was just better at hiding it when he was around others. The time drew nearer and nearer and he could hardly bear it. The anxiety his mission caused him made him sick. However, it was helpful to have Raynea around again. Their relationship wasn't ideal, but at least it existed. Though, there was a lot of tension. Sometimes, he just wanted to kiss her right in the middle of the hallway in front of everybody. Although, he knew if he did this, she would probably kill him…or worse.

He just wanted some sort of physical contact. Ever since she had comforted him that one evening in the hallway, she refused to touch him. Her presence was definitely consoling enough, but her touch was even more so. In his heart, Draco knew he should have just distanced himself from her completely like he had intended to. Fulfilling his destiny would be even more difficult if he had a bunch of ties to his past life. However, he couldn't stay away. Draco needed Raynea, he truly did. He hated to admit it, but he also couldn't deny it. He loved her…though, she still wasn't aware of this development.

There were too many things going on in his head for him to constantly worry about his feelings, though. The stress and fear were enough trouble. His misery was really starting to consume him. It was unbearable, especially since his time was running out. Draco had been crying so much lately, and he hated it. He had never felt so weak and pathetic in his entire life. The unflinching state of terror he was in was so insufferable. He was beginning to have deep doubt in his ability to kill. Draco wasn't sure if he could make it through in the end, but he had to. He was chosen. This was his destiny. He had to be strong.

***

One evening at dinner, a few days after her confrontation with Draco in the library, Raynea was reflecting about the particularly good day she had had. Things were running rather smoothly and she was in a genuinely happy mood. This was pleasing to her. She hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time. However, this came to an unfortunate end as dinner progressed.

Raynea couldn't keep her eyes off of the Slytherin table. Draco looked especially awful that night. He didn't eat. He didn't speak. He just stared ahead of him with a look of dread on his pale face. His exhaustion seemed to have reached inordinate levels, and Raynea wouldn't have been surprised if he passed out right then and there. She was extremely concerned for his well being. From what she could tell, he hadn't been eating or sleeping for the past few days. She also could've sworn that she saw tears coat his tired eyes. He just looked so detached from everything and everyone else around him. Raynea was confused as to why he could sometimes appear normal when she was near him. It didn't make much sense. She planned to talk to him once dinner was over. She had to make sure that he was okay.

Then, out of nowhere, Draco rose up from his seat at the table and headed out of the Great Hall in a state of panic. Raynea felt her stomach jolt before she got up out of her seat in an instant. She was surprised that his departure would prompt her to act so hastily. She couldn't help it, though. She had to see that he was all right. Without even offering an excuse to her friends, Raynea walked away from the table and made her way out of the Great Hall and into the hallways. She was certain that Draco hadn't gotten very far; she had reacted rather quickly. She was relieved when she spotted him after only a minute of searching. He was standing at the end of the corridor, facing the wall and bracing it with his arm as his head hung dejectedly. Raynea walked right up to him and gazed upon his thin figure with a look of sympathy on her face.

"Draco…" she trailed off softly, resting her hand on his shoulder. He didn't answer. He simply remained in the same position. Raynea came closer to him and sighed heavily.

"Are you okay?" she questioned with a worried tone. After a slight delay, Draco turned to face her with a pained expression on his face.

"I will be," he answered roughly before grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into him. He tried to shove his face against hers, but Raynea turned her head swiftly.

"Stop it," she said in annoyance as she made an effort to remove herself from his grasp. He purely tightened his hold on her before running his hands up over her chest and onto her neck. Now, she was starting to get scared.

"Stop," Raynea exclaimed desperately. Draco ignored her request and pushed her against the wall forcefully. Tears burned her eyes as she was even more frantic in her attempts to break away from him, "Draco, stop it...."

He angled his head downwards again as he forced his lips onto hers. She ripped her face away from his in fright and shoved her hands into his chest so that she could get away from him. Draco simply grabbed her wrists firmly before pinning them to the wall.

"Stop," she cried out as tears openly poured down her face. She grew even more terrified as Draco disregarded her pleas once again. His lips grazed her cheek and Raynea continued to squirm around in order to free herself, "Draco…please…"

Suddenly, he released her and took a few steps back. He was also crying and seemed to be even more upset about what had just transpired than she was. Raynea stared at him as tears still poured down her cheeks. She went up to him and gripped the sides of his head tightly as she kept her eyes fixed upon his face. They both sunk to the ground before Raynea embraced him closely. Despite what he had just done, she stayed with him. She couldn't leave. His past actions didn't matter. He needed her. Draco wept more heavily and she merely held him tighter. They stayed in one another's embrace on the floor as they both continued to sob.

***

The next few days, Raynea was in an especially depressed mood. All of her negative thoughts were plaguing her, and she didn't have the strength to push them to the back of her mind. Raynea was quite aware of how screwed up she was. Staying to comfort the boy who had just forced himself on her was unusual, and she knew this. She honestly didn't care. She was going to be there for Draco while he was dealing with whatever it was that was bothering him. He still hadn't clued her in to what it was, but that wasn't important. He obviously needed her, and she couldn't leave. She really couldn't bring herself to abandon him.

Raynea was purely frightened from the experience she had had with Draco the night before, but she wasn't frightened of _him_. She couldn't truly understand what she was feeling; she just knew that she had no ill will towards Draco for what he had done. However, he seemed to be upset about the whole situation. She was certain that his other issues were troubling him more, but the events of the previous evening probably didn't help much.

Draco hadn't crossed her path since the incident. In fact, he went out of his way to avoid her. Raynea was irritated by this. She wasn't going to focus on the past, but apparently, he was. It seemed stupid to her. If she wasn't upset, then he shouldn't be either. However, this was definitely not the case. Raynea was certain that they would talk eventually, whether he wanted to or not.

**(Another) Author's Note: Is it weird? Lemme know if it's weird, cause it makes sense to me. I really hope it was good... and not weird...anyway, thanks so much!! :)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I appreciate it so, so much! I'm glad to know that the last chapter wasn't in need of a redo. Thanks! This update involves canon sequences. I definitely didn't really follow the book or movie. I kinda used some of the elements from each of them, but made it my own thing. I hope you like it! I tried to make this update longer and slightly less angsty, even though its still kinda sad...ish. I also took into account some criticism which was to shorten some of the internal monologues. This was definitely a good suggestion, and I hope that this is better! Please, please leave a review. I consider this chapter to be pretty important. I hope you enjoy! Thanks so much!!! :) **

A full week went by, and Raynea still had not spoken to Draco. She grew accustomed to his efforts of avoidance, but she was still angered by it. However, she wasn't going to let it ruin her life. Everything was so messed up, and dwelling on this fact all the time wasn't the way to cope with it. Raynea still had her friends, even though she couldn't exactly vent to them about some of her troubles. Harry still had no clue about some of the things that had gone on in her life, so talking to him was not an option. She and Ron agreed never to discuss the Draco topic, and she didn't want to upset Hermione. The latest developments in her association with Draco were sort of horrible anyway; it was better for Raynea not to mention it.

In spite of a lack of contact, she still felt as though she was tapped into what was going on with Draco. From what she could tell, things had gotten even worse. He was constantly absent at meals, he never seemed to talk to anyone anymore, and he looked sicker than ever. Raynea certainly was concerned, but she tried not to let it get to her too much. She couldn't keep worrying about him if he wasn't going to be honest with her.

In an effort to distract herself, Raynea made a plan to spend an afternoon with Harry. After lessons had ended for the day, the two decided to head down to the library and catch up on some schoolwork. She figured this would be the perfect way to keep the negative thoughts out of her mind. Spending time with one of her best friends and focusing on work would definitely be beneficial. The pair enjoyed themselves quite a bit on their outing. They laughed a lot and joked around while also completing a good chunk of homework. It was a great combination of business and pleasure.

On their way back up to the Gryffindor tower, Harry and Raynea decided to take the scenic route. They simply wandered around for awhile. There was still some time to waste before dinner, and the both of them felt that it was nice to just pal around and enjoy one another's company. After some time had passed, they found themselves on the seventh floor, both still in light, happy moods. They were laughing rather loudly as they continued on down the corridor, but suddenly something tore Harry's attention away from the conversation. He was staring ahead down the hallway with a wary expression on his face as all his laughter subsided. Raynea furrowed her brow at this before turning her head forward to see what Harry had been so occupied by.

Just ahead, Draco appeared, almost out of nowhere. He simply stood there for a moment with a distraught look on his face when he noticed Harry and Raynea's presence. His eyes widened fretfully and he swallowed a lump in his throat before he began to walk on forward down the hall. Harry slowly approached the area of the corridor where it seemed that Draco had come from. Raynea followed after him cautiously with the same puzzled look on her face. Harry studied the wall apprehensively then directed his attention towards the tapestry hanging on the opposite wall, and then back onto the original spot. He narrowed his eyes and took a few steps back while Raynea just stared at him in confusion.

"Harry?"

"The Room of Requirement," he stated firmly, "Why would Malfoy be in the Room of Requirement?"

Raynea looked part way down the corridor to see that Draco was still in view before she widened her eyes nervously.

"I dunno…It doesn't matter, really," she told him.

Harry ignored her last comment before turning his gaze towards Draco's retreating figure with a look of suspicion on his face. Abruptly, Harry took off the hallway after Draco, leaving Raynea to panic behind him. She had a feeling something awful was about to happen.

"Harry, no!" Raynea exclaimed anxiously before following behind him.

It seemed as though Draco was becoming more desperate in his attempts to make it out of the hallway, for his pace quickened. He hurriedly turned into the adjacent corridor, with Harry close on his heels. Raynea tried her best to keep up with Harry, but he was too fast.

"No, Harry…" she said urgently as she entered the adjoining hall right behind him. Just a ways down the corridor, she saw Draco enter a room and Harry followed in after him. Raynea sped up to the place in which they had gone, and sighed in frustration when she discovered that it was a boys' lavatory.

"Bloody hell," she cursed before inhaling sharply and barging into the bathroom.

Upon her entrance, Raynea bumped into Harry and noticed that he was once again looking ahead. She gazed in front of her to see Draco bent over one of the sinks and staring at his own reflection as tears streamed down his face. She felt her stomach jolt before Draco noticed that he wasn't alone. He whipped around forcefully and merely noticed that Harry was standing there, just over the threshold. He scowled furiously, then tore his wand out of his pocket and aimed a jinx towards the door. Both Harry and Raynea dodged it, which was when her presence was also made known. She pinned herself against the wall and inched forward carefully as Harry grimaced and made an attempt to shoot a spell back at Draco.

"Harry, don't!" she shouted worriedly. He ignored her request before offering her a bewildered stare. Draco took this time to flick his wand in Harry's direction once again. Luckily, Harry was able to evade his attack.

"Guys, just stop it!" Raynea yelled hysterically.

"Stay outta this," Draco snapped as he avoided another one of Harry's spells. Raynea stayed poised against the wall, knowing that getting in between the fight wouldn't help much. She continued to step forward, hoping she would be able to reach Draco, but both he and Harry moved to the opposite side of the stalls and continued to try and attack one another. This lasted for only a few more seconds, until Harry cried out madly.

"Sectumsempra!"

Raynea saw nothing, but heard Draco crash onto the floor after only a moment passed. She ran forward and felt her heart break as she stared down at him with a look of horror on her face. Draco was lying on the floor in a puddle of water—and blood. He had slash marks across his face and chest, and blood was leaking from each of the wounds. Draco still seemed to be alive, but just barely. He whimpered in pain as Raynea came up beside him and knelt cautiously. She didn't want to touch him, for she didn't know what it would do. Tears escaped her eyes as she gazed upon him, utterly terrified. Raynea suddenly looked up to see Harry glancing down at Draco with a horrified expression. He didn't say anything, but stood there, somewhat in a state of shock. Raynea directed her attention towards Draco again as he let out another moan of agony.

"Draco…no…" she uttered in a hushed voice.

She honestly didn't know what to do. She had never seen such a spell before, and couldn't even begin to think of a way to heal him. Tears poured from her eyes more vigorously and Harry continued to just stand there. Suddenly, Raynea heard the door burst open and Professor Snape appeared at Draco's side. She stared up at him shakily as he simply glared.

"Potter, McCoy…get out," he instructed harshly as he got down onto his knees.

Harry immediately followed his orders, but Raynea remained in her spot on the ground.

"Will he be okay?" she demanded.

"Get out," Snape repeated viciously, prompting Raynea to instantly remove herself from the scene. She edged away sluggishly, but felt that her fear was still at a maximum level. Once out of the lavatory, Raynea headed towards the Gryffindor common room as her tears began to subside a little. She was petrified. Draco could've died—in fact, he _could_ be dead, for all she knew. Snape was handling it, though. Things would be okay…she hoped.

***

Once Raynea had returned to the common room, she found that Harry was the only one there. Everyone else must have headed down to dinner in the time that they were gone. Raynea was finally able to control her tears and felt that some of her terror had melted away. She carefully approached Harry, who was sitting on the couch, staring at the fire pensively. She sat down at his side and sighed heavily before he addressed her.

"I didn't know what the spell did," he told her shakily, "If I had…"

"I know," Raynea assured him as she closed her eyes and inhaled. This helped her to calm down a bit more before the conversation continued.

"Snape was there though…he'll be okay," Harry said, sounding as though he was trying to convince himself rather than Raynea.

"Yeah…he will," she answered blankly. The two merely sat in a tense silence for a few minutes, both gazing at the fire with intensity. Raynea was about to suggest that they go down to dinner, when Harry addressed her again.

"Raynea…I was just curious…why did you jump in between me and Malfoy like that? You seemed really…er…protective of him," he explained uneasily.

"I just didn't want anyone to get hurt," Raynea said, "…that's all."

"It kinda seemed like you didn't want _him_ to get hurt," Harry pointed out.

"I was worried about both of you," she insisted defensively.

"That's just the thing—why would you care so much about Malfoy? Why did you start crying like that?"

"I…uh…I just didn't want to see him hurt."

"What's going on, Raynea?" Harry questioned suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes at her and she just froze. She wasn't sure if it would be better to tell the truth or formulate some sort of lie. Either way, Harry would find out about her past eventually, Raynea figured she should just get the confession over with.

"I ….I couldn't let you hurt him," she admitted in a strangled voice, "I just couldn't."

Harry's expression changed from inquisitive to confused, and Raynea shook her head tiredly. She assumed that his stunned silence meant that he wanted her to continue with her explanation.

"He has feelings for me," Raynea stated, unsure if she had the guts to admit everything else that had happened between them.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said pointedly.

"And…I care about him, too," she told him quietly.

Harry glared at her disbelievingly as he struggled to come up with a reply. He looked kind of disgusted…which wasn't surprising.

"What?" he uttered after awhile.

"I know…it sounds mad…" she said with a hint of annoyed amusement in her tone.

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"What…are you two…together or something? Harry inquired uncomfortably.

"We were," Raynea sighed, "But it's over now."

He continued to stare at her with a curiously repulsed expression. He rose from his place on the couch and whipped around to face her.

"Is that why you said no to me?" he demanded, "…because of Malfoy."

Raynea simply gazed at him remorsefully as she rolled her eyes. He understood that her unwillingness to respond was her way of saying 'yes.' Suddenly, his confusion disappeared and was replaced with anger.

"I can't believe you've been running around with him, Raynea," he exclaimed, "Are you mad?"

"Apparently," she replied dryly with an irritated eyebrow raise.

"I can't believe you," Harry stated irately, "You know what he is."

"He's just…Malfoy," Raynea returned softly.

"I'm telling you, he's one of them now," he shot back.

"One of what?"

"A Death Eater," Harry verified in annoyance.

"Harry, he is _not _a Death Eater," Raynea shouted, "What even makes you say that?"

"I just know," Harry said roughly, "You saw him sneaking around the Room of Requirement…and I dunno…he's just different."

"He is _not _a Death Eater," she repeated, "Besides, _we _used to be the ones who would sneak around the Room of Requirement. What does that say about us?"

"This is different."

"You're wrong, Harry," Raynea countered, "If he was, I would've known."

"What? Do you actually think he would tell you about it?"

"No…but I would be able to figure it out."

"That's right, you two are such great friends now…or more."

"I told you, it's over," Raynea said fiercely, "It's been over."

"It shouldn't have even happened in the first place," Harry responded angrily as he headed towards the portrait hole.

"Where are you going?" she demanded, rising from her seat.

Harry ignored her question before exiting the common room. Raynea stared after him, breathing heavily as she did.

"Dammit," she cursed with a broken voice as she collapsed back onto the couch.

* **

Instead of going to the Great Hall for dinner, Raynea opted for paying a visit to the Hospital Wing. She wasn't exactly sure if Draco would be there, but she had a feeling that he was. Even if he could be healed by some sort of magic, he would still need to spend the night there for recovery. Her trek down to the Hospital wasn't very pleasant. All the horrible events of the day were looming over her, and she was especially jarred by the fight she had had with Harry. His reaction wasn't quite as bad as Ron's, but it was still pretty awful. Raynea was sick and tired of people accusing Draco of being a Death Eater. He couldn't be…right? It just wasn't possible.

Raynea tried to push these thoughts from her mind as she approached the Hospital Wing. For the time being, she just wanted to see that Draco was all right. Upon her entry, she spotted him immediately. He was lying on a cot a ways down the room and he appeared as though he was sleeping. Raynea felt relief wash over her as she continued to gaze at him. His wounds were completely gone and she knew that he was okay. That was all she needed. However, some verification couldn't hurt. As Raynea came up beside his bed, she turned to catch the attention of Madame Pomfrey, who was just passing by.

"Excuse me, Madame Pomfrey," Raynea began politely. The nurse stopped and spun around to face Raynea with an expectant look on her face, "Is he going to be all right?"

Raynea gestured to Draco and folded her lips. Madame Pomfrey offered her a small smile.

"He's just fine," Madame Pomfrey explained kindly, "He'll only be staying her overnight, just to be sure."

"Oh, right," Raynea answered with a grin, "Thank you."

Madame Pomfrey offered her a nod before continuing on her way. Raynea redirected her gaze to Draco, who seemed to be in a deep sleep. She exhaled before pulling up a chair and taking a seat at his bedside. Even if he was resting, she didn't want to leave him alone. Tears coated Raynea's eyes as she kept her stare upon him. She was relieved…and sad. It was strange. However, she didn't allow herself to actually cry. She had been crying so much lately, she couldn't bear to do it again. All she wanted to do was be there for Draco. Any random passerby would probably find it odd to see her there with him, but she didn't care. It didn't matter, not anymore. Maybe if she had been more open in the first place, things wouldn't have gotten so complicated. The fight between Harry and Draco was bound to happen either way, but everything else could have been avoided.

Raynea tried her best to forget all the other stuff, and just focus on the boy lying there before her. Even in his sleep, Draco looked exhausted. He didn't appear to be sleeping peacefully. In fact, he looked just as troubled as usual. It was depressing to Raynea, but she attempted to ignore this emotion. She shook her head resolutely and sighed before looking down at Draco with a softer expression. After a few moments, she grabbed his hand and held it tightly in hers. She smiled slightly and allowed herself to enjoy his company—even if he was unconscious. Truly, it was more pleasant to be with him in this state. He was actually quiet for once.

***

Draco's eyes fluttered open before he stared up at the ceiling with a confused look on his face. It took him a second for him to remember what had happened—and where he was. After a minute or two, he recognized the high ceilings of the Hospital Wing and recalled why he would even be there in the first place. He sat up slowly and glanced around the room. It appeared to be night, and the room was nearly empty. Draco shook his head to reorient himself, when he suddenly noticed that he wasn't alone. His eyes traveled down his arm and he saw a tan hand was grasping his pale one. He looked ahead further and saw a dark haired figure pitched forward onto the bed.

Raynea was lying face first against his knees, with her head turned so that she was facing him. She had come to his bedside…and fallen asleep. He rolled his eyes before he stared at her more intensely. Draco's hard expression softened as he did this, and he carefully slipped his hand out of hers. He sighed heavily as he tapped Raynea's shoulder roughly to awaken her. Her eyes opened after a moment, and she blinked rapidly as she looked about the room. She had awoken in a disoriented state, just like he had. Raynea sat up slowly and was surprised to see Draco staring at her. She folded her lips as she scooted her chair back so that there was more space between them.

"How are you feeling?" Raynea asked quietly, glancing at him with concern.

"Great," Draco replied sarcastically as he narrowed his eyes, "It feels just spectacular to be nearly slashed in half."

"At least Snape was there," she reminded him, "I think he knew how to fix it."

"Obviously," Draco stated dryly, staring down at his intact form.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay," she told him gently.

"Please," he jeered as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Like I'd let Potter get the best of me."

"Er…he kinda did," Raynea pointed out, her tone becoming more severe.

"Shut up," Draco snapped.

"Whatever," Raynea returned in annoyance.

They sat in silence for what felt like and eternity, before he addressed her again.

"Why did you come here?"

"What'd you mean?"

"Why did you come here?" Draco repeated harshly, "You must've had something better to do with your bleeding time than just sit here with me."

"I just…I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Draco's eyes softened a bit as he gazed at her, then, suddenly, he grew petulant again.

"You're mad," he said gruffly, "You should've been hoping that I died, you bint."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Raynea demanded. Draco inhaled sharply and sat up more in his cot as he glared at her.

"After all the things that I've bloody done to you…after everything…." He trailed off angrily, seeming to find the words too hard to say, "Why in the hell would you stay with me?"

"Because I want to," Raynea stated curtly before rolling her eyes, "…git."

"You are such a stupid bitch," he told her furiously, sinking back down into his bed.

"Yes…I am," she agreed pointedly.

His eyes flicked back towards her in surprise before he grimaced. Raynea crossed her arms, then glanced to the side broodingly. All of a sudden, she stood up from her seat and walked towards the end of his bed in preparation to leave. Draco gazed up at her, with an anxious look on his face. It appeared as though he wanted her to stay.

"It's getting late," Raynea reasoned in a hushed voice, "I should go."

"Fine, be on your bloody way," Draco said fiercely, ripping his eyes away from her. Raynea closed her eyes sadly and reopened them as she headed towards the exit. He fixed his stare on her retreating figure with longing before crashing his head down on his pillow in frustration.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note: Thank you so, so much for all the reviews! So, we've finally come to the last chapter. Originally, I had two more chapters left after the last one, but decided to just combine everything into one long update instead. Just warning that the Astronomy Tower scene is done strangely, and I didn't really use lines from the movie or the book. I think there's a few from the movie maybe, but I honestly can't remember. So yeah, it's a bit unusually done, but I hope it's still good. I just wanted to truly thank you all for reading and reviewing my story. It means so much. I know that having people read my writing is a privilege, not a right, and I am really grateful. Please read the author's note at the end. It's more important than this one, I just didn't want to give anything away before you read. Anyway, please leave a review for this chapter since its the last one. I really hope you've enjoyed it and I hope that the final chapter goes along well with the rest of the story. Thanks so, so much! :)**

A few more weeks passed, and it was getting towards the end of term. Raynea wasn't sure if she was excited or upset by this. She loved being at school usually, but this year had proven to be extremely stressful. Maybe a summer off was just what she needed. On the other hand, she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave things so unresolved with Draco. They weren't speaking, but they weren't in a fight. Raynea found the circumstances to be unusual. It's not like either one of them was really angry with the other, it just seemed as though they both required some separation. She tried her best to forget about him all together, but with no such luck. Day after day, Raynea would notice how worn his appearance was and worry about how dead he seemed to be. It was hard for her to watch, even after all this time had gone by.

In other news, Raynea and Harry weren't speaking. She supposed she shouldn't be shocked by this turn of events, but she was still quite frustrated. It was so stupid for him to shun her just because she cared about Draco. She couldn't help how she felt, and if she could, she definitely would not choose to have feelings for Draco Malfoy. However, there was an unofficial arrangement so that both Raynea and Harry could still see Ron and Hermione on a regular basis. At breakfast, Harry and Hermione sat together, which meant Ron and Raynea would sit together. Lunch was the exact opposite, and dinner mirrored the same set up as breakfast. During the rest of the day, Harry and Ron would usually pair off, and Hermione and Raynea would do the same. Raynea hated that her feelings for someone could completely derail their group. It was absolutely ridiculous. She understood that Harry was upset by the situation, but it didn't mean that he should shut her out entirely. Worrying about all the bad things in her life didn't help her rest any. Sleep did not come easy, and many nights she would stare at the ceiling for hours before she could finally fall asleep. It was maddening, and left Raynea feeling completely drained.

However, it was already decided that Raynea would spend the summer at the Burrow. She knew she had the option of staying with Luke, but she just wanted to be with the Weasleys during this time. They were her family, in a way. Ron was rather excited that she had chosen to spend her summer with him. They had only gotten into the one fight during the year, but it seemed like he wanted to make up for some of the time they had spent feuding. He was especially supportive of her after seeing Harry's reaction to Raynea's confession.

"He's acting mad," Ron stated as he and Raynea lounged upstairs in the boys' dormitory. They had the intention of doing homework, but gave up on this goal after only a few minutes.

"Agreed," Raynea replied tiredly, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"I mean, I know I was angry about you and…" he trailed off uncomfortably and cleared his throat before continuing, "…but I got over it. I'm not going to end our bloody friendship over that git."

"Yeah, well Harry seems pretty set in his decision," she answered, "He won't even look at me."

"He's just worried, I suppose," Ron offered with a shrug, "Or jealous."

"Whatever," Raynea sighed, casting her eyes downwards, "That whole thing is over now, anyway. Harry just needs to accept it."

"I reckon he's stressed out," Ron said, "I mean, things are getting more serious. Dumbledore's been asking to see him a lot lately."

"Yeah, it's probably just that," she agreed, shaking her head exhaustedly.

"Try not to let it get to you," he suggested with a warm smile.

"I will," Raynea said as she grinned and nodded. She wasn't sure if it was possible for her _not _to let it get to her. She missed Harry, even if he was being a complete jackass. The four of them had just been reunited, and now everything was screwed up again. It was ironic…and irritating.

The following day, Raynea tried her best to follow Ron's advice. She had once been successful in trapping in all her emotions. Perhaps she could hone this skill yet again. In an effort to keep herself distracted, she went down to the library to do all the work she and Ron had planned to do the day before. She was a bit behind and this way, she could keep busy and also be productive.

Raynea had already spent a good half hour working on her assignments. However, she hadn't completed as much work as she should have in that time span. She found that she was being sidetracked by her problems—something she was desperate to avoid. Raynea gritted her teeth in frustration before forcing herself to stare down at the books in front of her. She fixed her eyes on the pages resolutely, until her attention was diverted by something else. She saw a figure in the corner of her eye and she turned her head curiously to see what it was.

Draco was perusing the books in the same aisle she was sitting in. He had a rather serious expression on his face, and didn't even acknowledge Raynea's presence. She simply gazed at him for a few moments before he finally realized she was there. Draco looked at her with tired eyes as he swallowed a lump in his throat. Raynea bit her lip uncomfortably before redirecting her attention to her schoolwork once again. He cleared his throat loudly as he treaded to the section of books directly behind her. There were a few minutes of deafening silence where the two were merely in close proximity to one another. Raynea began to breathe heavily and hoped that Draco couldn't sense her nervousness.

"Hi," he said over his shoulder unexpectedly. Raynea's eyes widened in shock before she turned her head slightly and addressed him.

"Hi," she returned breathlessly. There was more silence, but Draco spoke again after awhile.

"You're okay?" he asked roughly, his back still to her her, but his head was turned partway.

"Yeah…I'm okay," Raynea verified.

"Good," Draco answered firmly.

Raynea looked about the room in confusion and let another silence fall over them. She folded her lips tensely before she chose to say something.

"And you're…okay?"

"Uh…yeah," he told her without conviction, turning away from her completely.

"Right," she uttered. Raynea was certain that this would be the end of their exchange, until Draco came up beside her and stared down at her piercingly. She glanced back up at him with her jaw partly dropped. He looked exhausted as usual, but also extremely solemn.

"You look like hell," Draco informed her harshly with a grimace, "Get some more sleep."

"Back at ya," Raynea stated calmly as he rolled his eyes. After that, Draco disappeared out of the aisle.

The last few minutes had been excruciatingly tense. However, she was impressed with Draco's concern for her. Despite the manner in which it was delivered, his final comment was thoughtful. Raynea wondered why he seemed so pensive that day. Yes, he still seemed anxious, but Draco also appeared to be deep in thought. She was so curious to find out what had had him so worked up over the past few months, but Raynea supposed she would never find out. She and Draco were done…sort of.

***

Draco awoke the next morning with a gnawing feeling in his stomach. He instantly fell into a state of panic as soon as he opened his eyes. Everything around him seemed small and insignificant. All the pressure and stress he had been feeling had doubled. He could hardly stand to be awake. Actually, he could hardly stand to be alive.

The time had finally come. That evening, he would fulfill his destiny. He would carry out the Dark Lord's orders.

The moment had come sooner than he had wanted. It felt like the time had flown by ever since Christmas. That was the day his life had changed. That was when he became different. Draco hated what he had to do. He wasn't ready for this. He couldn't kill anyone. The stress he was feeling was enormous. He couldn't bear to live with all this pain, but he knew he had to. He despised what he had become. All the things he had to do…all the times he had to hide…

This wasn't the life that he wanted. Draco knew that there was a certain amount of darkness inside him, but not like this. He didn't want the life of a Death Eater. It just wasn't who he was. He couldn't be the person that everyone was forcing him to be. But, he didn't have a choice. His life was on the line. Draco was too afraid of the consequences to stand up for himself. He didn't want to die. It was too soon. He was too young for this life, but he was too young to die as well.

Then, as he headed down to the Great Hall for one of the last times, Draco thought of everything he would lose. He had already lost himself a long time ago, but there were other things to consider. His normality would never return…he wouldn't have his friends…his entire life would be uprooted….and he would lose Raynea…for good. Draco hated that he could even still think about his feelings at a time like this, but he couldn't help it. After tonight, Raynea would be out of his life forever. Once she knew what he was, she would never want him. Draco was quite aware of that fact. He loved her, he honestly did, but he couldn't stay. He had a job to do. It was his duty to his family and he didn't want to die. There were too many things at stake; he knew he couldn't back out. He had a mission.

The day went by fast—too fast. Draco found the irony in the situation. The day that he wanted his lessons to last for an eternity was the day that they went by in a flash. He decided to head down to the Slytherin dormitories as soon as classes had ended for the day. On his way there, he felt all his nerves and fear overcome him. There was so much to think about. His head was swimming, and his heart was beating fast. Draco broke out into a cold sweat, hoping that his sudden discomfort wasn't visible to the random passerby. All his thoughts consumed him as his heart raced even faster. It felt as though everything was closing in around him.

Draco started to hyperventilate as he quickened his pace and his eyes darted in every direction. His constant exhaustion was beginning to wear on him. In fact, just being alive was a chore. Draco kept walking faster and faster, letting no person stand in his way. He bumped into people without apology and turned corners sharply. Though, as he crossed into a new hallway, everything stopped. He got a glimpse of Raynea just before he crashed right into her, causing them both to stagger backwards clumsily. Draco remained a complete mess once the shock of the collision had worn off, and he stared at her with heavy eyes. She gazed at him uncomfortably and cleared her throat. The fact that he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown was obvious to her, and she suddenly stepped closer to him in concern. Then, Draco finally had a realization. This was the last time he would see Raynea…at least, before everything completely changed.

"Are you all right?" Raynea questioned apprehensively. Draco tried to get his breathing under control as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I'm fine," he told her blankly.

"You're lying," she stated with a sigh.

"Just let it go, Raynea," Draco ordered, only a hint of harshness in his voice.

"I can't," she began worriedly, "You always seem so messed up all the time. I can't just pretend like I don't notice…and I can't pretend like I don't care. Just tell me."

"No," he answered tiredly.

"I want to help you," Raynea told him.

"I don't need help," Draco informed her coldly.

"There's something wrong," she insisted frantically, "I know there is. If you care for me at all…please…" Raynea stopped for a moment, angry tears forming in her eyes. Draco felt his chest tighten and he looked away from her with a pained expression.

"…just tell me what it is…" she continued in desperation, "…trust me."

"No," he replied roughly after a second of silence. Raynea closed her eyes despairingly before fixing her gaze on him once again. Draco didn't want her to leave yet. This was their good-bye…even if she didn't know it.

"Fine," she stated in a hushed voice. He gritted his teeth to stop himself from breaking down before he returned his eyes to her face. A few moments passed where the two simply stared at each other. Draco frowned briefly before looking at Raynea more intensely.

"I'm sorry," he uttered resignedly. It was probably one of the first times he had ever used such a phrase, but it truly seemed to apply in this instance. He wasn't just sorry for not being honest with her, he was sorry for what he was about to do. He was sorry that he was leaving. He was sorry for all that he had put her through. Raynea was taken aback by his apology and she blinked exhaustedly in understanding.

"So am I."

Draco only nodded before continuing his final farewell.

"Just…try not to be such a bint all the time," he said, his voice both choked and brutal, "and…remember that I was right about you fancying me the whole time."

"What're you talking about?" Raynea demanded with a furrowed brow.

"Just listen to me for once without bloody talking," Draco snapped, "Just…listen…"

"You're not making any sense," she pointed out angrily, "You can't expect me to just stand here while you go on about what a bint I am. What're you even—"

Draco ignored all her comments and pulled her into a tight embrace. He rested one hand on her upper back, and the other was gripping her hair. She didn't react for a moment, then wrapped her arms around him warmly. His eyes still widened uneasily while they were in each other's arms, but that was partly because he was heart broken. This was the last time this would happen. It was also quite ironic that this was the one time Raynea allowed him to touch her with people around. Tons of students were passing by while they held onto one another. It seemed as though Raynea's shame had finally disappeared…what fortuitous timing.

After a short time passed, Draco released her and stared down at her with piercing eyes before taking off down the hallway. He couldn't prolong the exchange anymore. It was easier to just end it. Draco continued the rest of the way to the Slytherin dormitories, feeling utterly miserable. He was depressed, tired, stressed, angry, confused and afraid. There was too much to feel…and time had finally run out.

***

Both Harry and Draco were absent from dinner. Raynea made this observation instantly. This left her feeling rather anxious throughout the meal. Draco had been acting especially odd that day, and she wasn't sure what his disappearance meant. Yes, he had been missing a lot of meals lately, but today was just…different. Something was wrong, she could sense it. As far as Harry was concerned, Ron and Hermione informed her of his whereabouts. He was with Dumbledore yet again, but the circumstances were unusual. They were on some sort of quest, doing something crucial. That was all Raynea knew. Ron and Hermione didn't have any additional information either, which was surprising. Harry had been rather secretive about the whole thing. Whatever it was that they were doing was obviously important.

Ron, Hermione and Raynea spent the early part of their evening in the common room. They all merely sat there in silence, all three overwhelmed with worry. They were concerned about Harry, though Raynea supposed they shouldn't be. He was with Dumbledore. With Dumbledore, he was safe. However, this didn't stop them all from fretting in a tense silence. As some more time passed, Raynea's anxiety overcame her, and she excused herself from the common room. She was quite aware that it was nearly time for curfew, but she didn't care. She just needed to be out.

Raynea wasn't quite sure where to go. Everything felt so cramped. Every single possibility made her feel trapped. All accept one. She found herself climbing the steps of the Astronomy Tower with aching limbs. Raynea was tired, both physically and emotionally. The trek to her destination merely reminded her of this. As she reached the top of the tower, she felt the breeze caress her face and sent her hair flying back. She rested her arms on the railing and sighed heavily. Even if she had to return to the stuffiness of the common room eventually, at least Raynea could enjoy the fresh air for now.

The sky was already darkening and the clouds looked rather grey. The weather definitely matched her mood. All her worry and sadness washed over her as Raynea stared out at the grounds. She might have been angry with Harry, but she was still troubled by his absence. She had no clue what he was doing, though she was sure it was dangerous. Also, she was still dealing with Aurora's supposed death. Raynea had given up hope, and this only added to her despair. Then…there was Draco.

He had caused her so much pain over the past few months that she could hardly understand why she still cared about him so much. But, she did. Draco was breaking down inside, and Raynea knew it. Something was eating away at him slowly, but she still couldn't figure out what. She wanted so desperately to help him, however, he wouldn't let her. Draco had been especially guarded lately, meaning Raynea had no chance of getting him to crack. She cared so much that it hurt. It was ridiculous and sad and just…hard.

Suddenly, Raynea was broken from her thoughts as she realized how late the hour had grown. She looked at the landscape in front of her one more time before trudging over to the steps of the Astronomy Tower wearily. After making her way down the narrow staircase, Raynea started towards the door, when it opened suddenly. She furrowed her brow and felt her stomach jolt as Draco entered. His eyes were glassy and the dark circles beneath them were at their worst. He was extremely pale and his face was coated in fear. He shook violently as he stared at her with a pained expression. Raynea just gazed at him in confusion and prepared to question him, until he whipped his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at her unsteadily.

"What're you—"

"Petrificus Totalus," Draco uttered blankly before the spell hit her square in the chest.

Raynea's body went completely rigid and she fell back onto the floor stiffly, unable to move a bone in her body. However, she was still totally aware of everything that was going on around her. She stared up at Draco, not capable of conveying her confusion and he simply gazed down at her remorsefully. After a moment, he ascended up the stairs of the Astronomy Tower, and was suddenly out of view.

"_What the hell is going on_?" she thought frantically, "_Why would Draco come here? Why would he use a spell against me_?"

Raynea tried to understand what was going on around her. However, she could hardly piece anything together. She heard faint voices coming from the top of the Astronomy Tower, but was having trouble picking up on what was being said. She was even more desperate in her attempts to hear the ongoing conversation, and was finally able to hear a few words.

"If you truly intended to kill me, you already would have done so," said a voice that was none other than Professor Dumbledore. Raynea was shocked by this. She supposed he and Harry had apparated there just after she left. Though, she was more concerned with what he was saying.

"_Kill? Who's killing who? What's happening?_"

"I have to," replied a voice that Raynea recognized instantly.

"_Draco?_" she thought in horror.

"I was chosen for this," continued Draco in a choked voice.

"_What is he talking about_?"

Raynea was abruptly broken away from her hysteric musings as she heard the door of the Astronomy Tower swing open. The sound of footsteps followed shortly after that, and Raynea was horrified to discover who they belonged to. A lean, pale woman with a mass of curly, dark hair and a wicked expression passed by her first, smirking down at Raynea's frozen figure as she did. She headed up the stairs immediately, with a few others just behind her. Raynea recognized the first woman to be Bellatrix Lestrange almost immediately. It was hard to forget such a face. She was even more terrified as the remainder of the group strolled by. They all appeared to be Death Eaters, but Raynea didn't recognize a single one of them…until the last one entered.

A tall, built young man with tan skin and shaggy dark hair towered over her. His eyes were black and piercing and his face was trim and contorted into a devilish smile. Raynea screamed in her head as she stared up at her brother. Tristan knelt beside her slyly with his wand drawn as his grin merely grew. Raynea tried so hard to get her body moving again, but she simply couldn't. She had never been so afraid and confused in her entire life.

"Hey, sis," Tristan said in a cool, smooth voice. He got back up to his full height before he stomped onto her ribcage forcefully. Raynea felt a few of her ribs crack and she burned with pain. Tristan smirked, then kicked her in the same spot that he had just previously injured. Raynea felt as though she would pass out from the physical agony she was experiencing. Her mind was numbed by pain as her brother spoke again.

"Glad you could make it for the show…You wouldn't wanna miss this…I know I wouldn't."

He offered her one last kick in the side of the head before he headed up the winding steps. Raynea writhed in pain as she lay there in utter confusion.

"_What was he talking about? How did they get here?_"

Blood trickled down the side of her face as her broken ribs continued to throb excruciatingly. Voices from the top of the tower distracted Raynea from her pain, and left her feeling even more ill at ease.

"You are not a killer, Draco," said the calm, singsong voice of the Headmaster.

"How do you know? You don't know me," returned Draco.

Raynea felt as though she could die right then and there, and it had nothing to do with the physical discomfort she was experiencing. She came back into the conversation above her after being distracted by her hurt.

"…you could have come to me. I could have helped you," stated Dumbledore.

"I don't need your help," said Draco in a panicked voice, "I have to do this. I have to kill you…or he'll kill me."

Raynea screeched within her mind as she listened to the exchange. She couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe any of it. Some time passed, and there was merely silence overhead. Raynea became aware of another set of footsteps coming from in front of her and suddenly she saw Professor Snape stroll by her with a weary look on his face. The plot continued to thicken and Raynea was having trouble trying to piece everything together.

"Do it, Draco…now!" squealed the raspy voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Raynea was dying. She was simply…dying.

"No," said the cold, frigid voice of Professor Snape, "I'll do it."

There was a short pause, before the Headmaster's voice spoke again.

"Severus...please…"

More silence, and then…

"Avada Kedavra!"

"_NO!"_

Suddenly, a bout of sinful laughter came from Bellatrix before she called out in triumph. The rest of the Death Eaters cheered and Raynea heard them stomp down the steps after a moment. Snape was in the lead, followed by Bellatrix, and the three others that Raynea didn't recognize. Tristan passed by next, without even acknowledging her and then…came Draco. Raynea was surprised she could even see him, for she was two seconds away from passing out, but there he was. His face was blurred, but from what she could see, he looked empty and miserable. She wanted to cry out as she gazed upon his bare left arm. She could barely make it out, but on his pale appendage was a black splotch, which left Raynea to one conclusion.

She shrieked in her head, wishing that Draco could hear her. However, he just offered her one last pained glance before following the Death Eaters out of the Astronomy Tower. He was leaving with them. He was leaving for good.

"_NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!_"

Raynea felt her vision become more blurry as the pain in her ribs reached insane levels. She had to stay aware. Dumbledore was dead. She had to tell everyone. She had to stop Draco. She had to find Harry. She had to do something, but her body wouldn't allow her to move and she was losing consciousness. The last thing Raynea saw before the world collapsed around her, was Harry racing out of the Astronomy Tower with his wand drawn. Then, she saw nothing but darkness.

***

Raynea's eyes shot open and she found herself encased in bright light. For a second, she had no idea where she was. The brightness of her surroundings sent a shock of pain through her head and she squeezed her eyes shut to dull the ache. After another minute, she opened her eyes again and attempted to sit up slowly. However, a sharp sensation went through her ribs before she forced herself upright. Raynea's vision was slightly blurred, but she could make out the shapes of Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting at the end of her bed and suddenly, she realized that she was in the Hospital Wing. Looks of relief covered her friends' faces as Raynea stared at them unblinkingly. Hermione immediately rushed right up beside her with a look of concern on her face.

"You're awake, finally," she stated with a relaxed sigh, "Are you all right?"

Raynea held her tender side uncomfortably before pondering the question and choosing to ignore it.

"What's happening?" Raynea demanded.

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks, prompting Hermione to take a few steps back and cross her arms uneasily. Raynea glanced at each of them with pleading eyes, hoping that someone would speak soon.

"Tell me," Raynea insisted desperately. She didn't know how much time had passed since that night on the Astronomy Tower, and she didn't recall exactly what happened. A few details were burned onto her mind, but she needed verification.

"Er…well, Dumbledore…he's…uh…" Ron trailed off despairingly as he closed his eyes.

"Professor Dumbledore was killed," Hermione said in a quiet voice, trying to hold back the tears that had formed in her eyes.

"I know…I mean, I wasn't sure…but…" Raynea stopped speaking as she resisted the urge to sob.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other with saddened expressions and Harry just sat there and stared at the ground miserably. Raynea studied her friends carefully, before continuing her interrogation. There was something she had to know.

"Do you know who…" she began tiredly, rethinking her phrasing of the question, "Who did it?"

Ron exhaled and Hermione turned to face Raynea gravely. Raynea had a horrible feeling in her stomach.

"It was Professor Snape," Hermione informed her.

Raynea felt a touch of relief, but it wasn't really significant enough to notice. The pain of the Headmaster's death was unbearable. It took tremendous effort not to fall apart completely.

"Oh…" Raynea stated briefly, "Did we catch him?"

"No, he escaped with the others," Hermione replied.

"Dirty git," Ron muttered under his breath sorrowfully.

Raynea grew anxious after Hermione's response. He 'escaped with the others'? What did that mean? Who were the others?

"How did this happen?"

Hermione and Ron exchanged glances once again, and a silence fell about the room. Raynea stared at her friends fretfully, waiting for them to give her an answer.

"How did this all happen?" Raynea repeated.

There was another short pause, before Hermione finally offered an explanation.

"Draco Malfoy was chosen to kill Dumbledore…and the others came for back-up," she began apprehensively, "Malfoy…is a Death Eater. He has been for months."

Raynea's breathing became erratic as she was given this news. She couldn't even put a coherent thought together. She couldn't feel anything. She just wanted to die.

"He couldn't kill Dumbledore in the end," Hermione continued nervously, "That's why Snape did it. He's been working for their side the whole time."

"Did we catch him?" Raynea asked hysterically, "Did they stop him?" Obviously, she was referring to Draco this time. Hermione just gazed at her sympathetically, then addressed her again.

"…No. He's gone with the rest of them."

Raynea lost all ability to breathe steadily as tears leaked down her face. She dug her nails into her bed before fixing her gaze downwards. It couldn't be true. None of it was true. It just couldn't be. Draco couldn't be gone.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said grimly as tears poured down her cheeks as well. Ron continued to stare at his hands dejectedly as Harry just sat there. Raynea's tears turned to sobs as she sunk down into her bed and brought her hands up to her face.

Draco was gone. She knew it to be true. In fact, she had seen it. She saw everything. It was all just so unbelievable, that Raynea needed someone to tell her it was true. She felt so dead. Being there was too hard. Having to deal with all these horrible things was too hard. Raynea hated that she couldn't see it before. She couldn't see what Draco Malfoy truly was. Ron had been right, she was blinded by her feelings. It all made sense now. Draco had changed so drastically over the past few months because of his orders. Everything fit into place. However, this didn't make Raynea feel any better. She wanted it all to be over. She wanted everything to be done with.

"_Just let it end_," she thought frantically, "_Just let it bloody end_."

***

The following day, Raynea was released from the Hospital Wing. She was nursing three broken ribs and a mild head trauma, but besides that, she was just fine—well, physically speaking. She spent most of the day up in her dormitory, unable to make herself get out of bed. She was still in some physical pain, but the emotional hurt she was experiencing was much worse. Raynea let everything sink in and she found it all to be unbearable. Dumbledore was dead. Hope was lost. Everything had fallen right into place for the opposing side. The Death Eaters were rejoicing and it seemed as though their victory was near. It was hopeless.

Draco was among them. He was one of them. He had been for so long, but Raynea couldn't see it. Despite how close she was to him, she never figured it out. Raynea hated herself for being so weak. She hated that she had let Draco Malfoy get into her mind. But, what she hated the most, was that she had let him go. He was with them now, and he couldn't be helped.

Eventually, Raynea headed down to the Gryffindor common room, which was nearly barren. It was dinner time and most of the students had left. All except Harry, who just sat on the couch broodingly. Raynea plopped down beside him and stared ahead vacantly. She didn't know what to say, but she didn't want to be alone anymore, and she was sure that Harry felt the same way. After minutes of silence, he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry I just left you there, at first," Harry stated briefly.

"What'd you mean?" Raynea asked with a puzzled expression.

"At the Astronomy Tower," he explained exhaustedly, "I saw you lying there, but I was trying to catch Snape…doesn't matter now, I guess. He got away."

"Don't blame yourself, Harry. There's nothing you could've done."

"I saw it all happen…and I did nothing to stop it. I was just doing what Dumbledore told me to do…and now he's…" Harry trailed off and sighed heavily.

"You can't beat yourself up about this…it's not your fault," Raynea insisted.

"I guess."

"Besides, I'm the one who did nothing," she stated, her voice breaking.

"You were stunned, Raynea. You couldn't have—"

"I don't mean that," she verified, "I mean all along."

Harry stared at her sympathetically as Raynea tried to build herself up to explain what she was feeling. She exhaled deeply as a grim expression covered her face.

"Draco was a Death Eater the whole time…and I couldn't see it."

"It's not your fault—"

"Yes, it is. You warned me…but I wouldn't listen. And now Dumbledore's dead…and Draco is…" Raynea stopped herself so that she could control the intense emotions she was feeling. Everything was just so overwhelming and painful.

"Did you love him?" Harry questioned with honest curiosity, breaking a short period of quiet. Raynea smiled miserably as tears coated her eyes.

"No," she admitted in a hushed voice, "but I wish I had. Maybe then, I could've saved him."

***

The Death Eaters traveled through the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, hooting and cheering in victory. Snape led the way and was followed by the rest, with Bellatrix and Draco in the very back. Draco walked on ahead with an empty feeling in his stomach and a dreadful expression on his face. The excitement around him did not seep into him, but merely added to his gloom. His legs were working independently of his mind. In fact, he felt like he had completely lost himself. The control had been stripped away long ago, but Draco felt even worse about it now. He carried on ahead as the chatter continued around him. He was numbed—both inside and out. Suddenly, Draco felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to face his Aunt Bellatrix with a blank expression. She smiled coyly.

"This was a victory, Draco. You should be celebrating," Bellatrix said wickedly.

He didn't reply and turned his head forward. However, Bellatrix addressed him again.

"Come on, Draco, what was really left for you back at that school?" she demanded.

Draco truly pondered her questioned and thought of the answer almost instantly.

"_Everything_." He turned to face his Aunt a second time before replying.

"Nothing."

**(Another, more important) Author's Note:  I really hope you liked it! So, I know the ending is pretty incomplete, but I have a solution to that. I do have an idea for a sequel that would take place during the time of the Deathly Hallows, but will be nothing like the book whatsoever. Like, it'll be totally an independent story, but will be about the war and such and will still be a Romance/Drama kinda thing. Now, if you think that a sequel is unnecessary, please lemme know! I don't wanna butcher my own idea by extending it out too long. If you think it is necessary, lemme know that also. So, just give me the heads up to do or not do a sequel. I honestly need your feedback. Thanks so much for reading, and please review! Thanks!! :) **


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